A joint investigation by the Breitbart News Foundation (BNF) and the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) has revealed that an unassuming building in St. Paul, Minnesota serves as the headquarters of the Minnesota Overseas Chinese Service Center (OCSC) – an entity directly tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department (UFWD). The UFWD is widely recognized as Beijing’s primary arm for influence operations, overseas lobbying, and the monitoring of Chinese diaspora communities.
The OCSC is led by Dr. Bingwen Yan, who has attended official Chinese government training, was appointed as a Consular Protection Liaison Officer, and helped coordinate shipments of U.S. medical supplies to Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak. Yan has also developed close political connections in Minnesota, including campaign contributions to Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar, fueling concerns that CCP-linked influence efforts may be reaching into local U.S. politics. Investigators further found that the OCSC shares office space with a logistics firm tied to Chinese state-owned enterprises with military links. The center and its affiliates have also received U.S. taxpayer-funded grants, and Yan’s University of Minnesota email address is still listed on official CCP websites as an OCSC contact.
The Minnesota findings mirror a broader pattern. Similar “overseas service centers” have surfaced in several U.S. cities, with some doubling as covert CCP police stations used to intimidate dissidents. The FBI has already shut down one such outpost in New York, while lawmakers are advancing measures – including the Expel Illegal Chinese Police Act – to counter foreign interference. The exposure of the OCSC in Minnesota highlights the growing reach of Beijing’s United Front operations and the national security risks they pose.
Source: Epoch Times, August 21, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/20/n14577673.htm