Defected Chinese Diplomat Says ‘Whole System Is Rotten’ by Michael Coleman Chen Yonglin, a former senior Chinese diplomat who turned into a blistering critic of the Communist Party, walked off his job at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney 10 weeks ago and made a very public request for asylum. The move infuriated the Chinese government and triggered a major diplomatic headache for Australian officials. Chen spent two months hiding out in Sydney before the Australian government, faced with mounting political pressure at home and abroad, agreed to grant Chen a protection visa on July 8. Chen, along with his wife and two young children, now have permanent residency in Australia—and quite a story to tell. Although he kept his whereabouts secret for more than two months, Chen left no uncertainty about the motivation for abandoning his homeland. In a series of interviews in the U.S. and Australian press, Chen repeatedly characterized the Chinese government as “evil” and described a vast network of secret Chinese spies who had infiltrated the United States and Australia to steal top military and technological secrets. Today, as the international uproar over his defection begins to subside, Chen is still speaking out. In a recent interview with The Washington Diplomat, Chen said he has no regrets about his decision. “If I had continued to work in this government, I would feel like I was just a part of this communist machine,” Chen said during a phone interview after midnight in Australia in late July. “I want to actually free myself from the evil control of these communists.” He described communist China as a cesspool of government corruption with a seething underclass of citizens that is ready to explode in anger and resentment. He said the poor people are simply powerless, and even the wealthier people are furious with a government that can seize their properties and possessions with virtually no due process. “The situation in China is like a volcano,” Chen said. “More and more people are dissatisfied with the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] power. Every year there are more than 60,000 acts of civil disobedience and some are very big. There will be more riots in China. While the poor people are angry with the government, even rich people are not satisfied with the CCP because their private property cannot be guaranteed. “The whole system is rotten and it’s time for change,” Chen concluded. Chinese Embassy officials in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on Chen’s case or his accusations against the CCP. However, the Chinese Consulate General issued a statement following Australia’s granting of a visa to Chen in early July. The statement, according to the Associated Press, accused Chen of “unfounded and fictitious stories” and denied that he faced persecution at home for publicly airing his grievances toward the Chinese government. “There is no so-called political persecution at all,” the statement said, in addition to publicly stating the government’s opposition to Australia granting Chen a visa. Next Page