US-China Relations - 7. page

China expert He Bin recently warned at a Virginia community event that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration of Virginia is a serious national security concern. Given Virginia’s proximity to Washington, D.C., its role as home to the Pentagon, the CIA, the world’s largest naval base (Norfolk), and the only U.S. shipyard that builds nuclear carriers and submarines, CCP influence poses unique risks.

He outlined multiple examples of CCP penetration in Virginia, including:

1. Media Control: Beijing secretly funded pro-CCP broadcasts on WCRW/WTSD radio (2011–2023).
2. Corporate Takeover: China’s WH Group’s $4.7B acquisition of Smithfield Foods, giving China control over 25 percent of U.S. pork production and farmland.
3. Confucius Institutes: They operated at George Mason University, William & Mary, and Old Dominion University. They have been criticized for undermining academic freedom.
4. Education Infiltration: Thomas Jefferson High School, one of the best high schools in the U.S., received $3.6M from CCP-linked sources, raising IP transfer concerns.
5. Chinese Student & Scholar Associations (CSSA): They strengthened surveillance and ideological influence over Chinese students.
6. Virginia Tech: The university collaborated with Xi’an Electronic Science and Technology University, linked to China’s military.
7. IP Theft: A Chinese researcher at UVA was charged with stealing trade secrets (case later dropped).
8. Telecom Threats: China Telecom’s U.S. subsidiary, based in Herndon, was shut down by FCC over national security risks.
9. NGOs: The Nature Conservancy in Arlington ran CCP-linked projects funded partly by U.S. government grants and Chinese firms.
10. Port Security: Over 30 Chinese-made cranes at Hampton Roads port raised Pentagon concerns about surveillance.
11. Espionage Cases: Chinese nationals and local residents in Virginia were prosecuted for spying or leaking defense secrets, including at Newport News Shipyard, the State Department, and even the Federal Reserve.

Source: Epoch Times, August 29, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/28/n14583195.htm

On August 26, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed several bills aimed at protecting Texans from threats posed by foreign adversaries. The legislation included: House Bill 128, which prohibits any Texas government entity from establishing “sister city” relationships with foreign adversaries while encouraging cooperation with U.S. allies; Senate Bill 17, which bans individuals, organizations, and entities from certain countries from purchasing real estate in Texas; and Senate Bill 1349, which criminalizes acts of transnational repression and requires the establishment of new training programs for law enforcement.

In fact, as early as last November, Abbott had signed an executive order directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to take measures against cross-border coercion by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At the time, he specifically cited the CCP’s “Fox Hunt” campaign of attempting to forcibly repatriate overseas dissidents back to China.

Analysts have noted that in recent years, China has increasingly engaged in “long-arm jurisdiction” against certain individuals abroad – using the People’s Liberation Army, public security officials, embassies, or agents – under the pretext of “safeguarding national interests,” thereby undermining other countries’ sovereignty.

Taiwanese media outlet Newtalk commented that by defining foreign “transnational repression” as a criminal offense, Texas has fired the first shot in American society against China. Sources:
1. NTDTV, August 28, 2025
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/08/28/a104015125.html
2. Newtalk, August 27, 2025
https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2025-08-27/990303

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