According to documents from the Cyberspace Administration of China, Hangzhou, the government hired internet trolls to control the narrative on Dr Li Wenliang and coronavirus.
Karen Fiorito, a California-based activist who created the billboard, called it "pretty aspirational" and said the design reflected her "fears of a Trump administration."
As Donald Trump remained mum on the alleged Russian-backed cyberattacks that compromised national security, Republican and Democrat senators have called retaliation.
Choi, who owned a fleet of over 50 ships, was turned in by a crewman in the port city of Chongjin after he learnt that he used to regularly listen to the US-funded Radio Free Asia.