China Formally Arrests Prince Group Founder Chen Zhi, Adds Two Charges - Vision Times
According toChannel NewsAsia, citing Chinese business magazine Caixin, Prince Group founder Chen Zhi was formally arrested by Chinese prosecutors on July 6 after authorities added two new charges—copyright. . .
According toChannel NewsAsia, citing Chinese business magazine Caixin, Prince Group founder Chen Zhi was formally arrested by Chinese prosecutors on July 6 after authorities added two new charges—copyright infringement and intentional injury—to an existing list of alleged offences. The intentional-injury charge could expose him to a substantially harsher sentence, potentially including life imprisonment or the death penalty in aggravated circumstances. Channel NewsAsia also reported that Hu Xiaowei, also known as Hu Shi and identified by the U. S. Treasury as Chen’s “big brother” and a senior Prince Group figure, was arrested in Japan on suspicion of falsifying official records and remains in Japan. On Jan. 7, 2026, Chen Zhi, founder of Cambodia’s Prince Group, was escorted back to China. Six months later,Caixinreported that Chinese authorities had formally approved his arrest on July 6. He is suspected of copyright infringement, operating casinos, fraud, intentional injury and illegal business operations, indicating that the case has entered the criminal prosecution stage. The charges differ from those reported when Chen was first returned to China. The offense of concealing or disguising criminal proceeds was dropped, while copyright infringement and intentional injury were added. Under Article 234 of China’s Criminal Law, intentional injury is punishable by up to three years in prison, criminal detention or public surveillance. Cases involving serious injury carry sentences of three to 10 years. If the victim dies, or if particularly cruel methods result in serious injury and severe disability, the penalty may exceed 10 years and can include life imprisonment or the death penalty. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERFor the best of our weekly content！There is something wrong, please try again laterSuccessYou are now signed up for our newsletterSuccessCheck your email to complete sign upThe addition of the intentional-injury charge therefore raises the possibility that authorities are preparing to seek a substantially heavier sentence, although the outcome will depend on further developments in the case. Both China and the United States respondFollowing Chen’s formal arrest, both Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government and U. S. authorities took further action connected to the case. According to the Chinese Communist Party’s officialXinhua News Agency, Xi met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Xijiao State Guest Hotel in Shanghai on July 17, 2026. Xi called on the two countries to make effective use of their “3+3” strategic dialogue mechanism covering diplomacy, defense and public security, and to jointly crack down on cross-border crimes, including counterfeiting, smuggling, online gambling and telecommunications fraud. On July 24, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel met Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong in Beijing. Patel wrote on X: “Back in Beijing to continue the extraordinary work under the Trump Administration—shutting off fentanyl precursor pipelines, expanding our joint operations on scam centers, violent crimes against children and the already successful fugitive apprehension task force. ”He also said he had been in direct contact with Chinese Vice Minister of Public Security Xu Datong and that the United States and China had cooperated in combating various crimes, producing tangible results. Back in Beijing to continue the extraordinary work under the Trump Administration- shutting off fentanyl precursor pipelines, expanding our joint operations on scam centers, violent crimes against children and the already successful fugitive task force. These historic results…pic. twitter. com/LCsqHTUGVU— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash)July 24, 2026Chen Zhi accused of laundering money for Chinese elitesIn October 2025, the U. S. government filed criminal charges against Chen Zhi, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to aninvestigationby the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Four Corners program, a former Chinese Ministry of Public Security operative using the pseudonym “Eric” worked undercover at Prince Real Estate in Cambodia while assisting a Chinese security operation targeting an overseas dissident. Eric told the ABC that Prince Group had close ties to China’s secret police and that senior company officials were aware of his identity and mission. In a subsequent post on X, he further alleged that Prince Group served as one of the Chinese Communist Party’s most important covert proxies in Cambodia and across Southeast Asia. Prince Group has denied having any affiliation with the Chinese government, and Eric’s broader allegations have not been independently verified. Canadian Chinese writer and democracy activist Sheng Xue alleged in an Oct. 21, 2025,social-media postthat telecommunications fraud and so-called “pig-butchering” scams were merely ancillary ventures for Chen Zhi. She claimed that his primary role was managing assets and laundering money for figures associated with the Chinese Communist Party’s Fujian faction and for Qi Qiaoqiao, the sister of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The allegations have not been independently verified. She alleged that Chen had been selected as a trusted subordinate by Qi Qiaoqiao, Xi Jinping’s older sister, and had direct access to China’s Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Shenzhen Guest House, which she described as a base associated with Xi’s family in Shenzhen. Several other people reportedly close to Chen have also been returned to China. On April 1, 2026, Chinese authorities escorted Li Xiong, a former chairman of Huione Group, from Phnom Penh back to China, according toChina’s Ministry of Public Security. The ministry described Huione Group as a Prince Group subsidiary and identified Li as a core member of Chen Zhi’s alleged criminal organization. In June, Liu Ren, a former president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, was also returned to China. Liu was accused of operating several online gambling platforms and was also the founder of the Jinbei platform. 说好聊聊陈志太子，那就发点别的地方你看不到的吧，顺便把柬埔寨那次行动也附上，之前怕影响ICIJ调查没上。说起来，除了政保的海外行动，和太子集团牵扯还挺多，他们太子慈善基金会的章程都是我起草的🤣……最开始那段视频，是当年诱捕变态辣椒时，辣椒不放心，让我临时拍的一段太子办公区画面。…pic. twitter. com/IKLbhMjyzr— 前特工Eric. V (@V_brigade_Eric)October 16, 2025Japanese authorities deport Hu Xiaowei to the United StatesFurther information has also emerged about Hu Xiaowei, described as Chen Zhi’s behind-the-scenes “big brother. ”On July 31, Japan’sAsahi Shimbunreported that Hu Xiaowei, a senior Prince Group executive also known as Hu Shi, had been deported from Japan to the United States on July 29 after being summarily indicted for violating Japan’s immigration law. According to the report, the FBI was believed to have made contact with Hu through Japanese authorities, and he could face further investigation in the United States. On August 1, U. S. -based independent commentator Cai Shenkunwrote on X: “For Hu Xiaowei to stand trial in the United States is relatively safer than Chen Zhi being transferred from Cambodia to China. He does not have to worry about being silenced or being sentenced to death. ”Hu Xiaowei is also reportedly known by several aliases, including “Chen Xiao’er,” “Hu Shi” and “Hu Yanming. ”RELATED:Japan Arrests Senior Prince Group Leader as US Cracks Down on Scam NetworkTaiwan Wins Global Anti-Money Laundering Award for Prince Group InvestigationOn July 5, Taiwan’sCentral News Agency, citing NHK and the Asahi Shimbun, reported that Japanese police had rearrested Hu Shi, a 44-year-old Chinese-born Cypriot national and senior Prince Group executive, on suspicion of violating Japan’s Immigration Control Act. Hu was first arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police on June 14 on suspicion of reporting a false residential address to a Japanese local government. He was later released without an immediate prosecutorial decision but was arrested again on July 5. Japanese police said Hu served as the representative director of a company in Tokyo and held a five-year residence status as a “highly skilled professional. ” He had reportedly entered and left Japan repeatedly for at least three years. On July 24, Japanese prosecutors brought summary proceedings against him, resulting in a fine equivalent to approximately 100,000 yuan. The U. S. government has designated Cambodia’s Prince Holding Group as a sanctioned entity and described it as “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations. ”Between 2025 and 2026, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom also imposed sanctions on Hu Shi, also known as Hu Xiaowei. According to theU. S. Treasury Department, Hu Xiaowei has been described as Prince Group’s “second-in-command” and as a “big brother” to its leader, Chen Zhi.