[The Epoch Times, July 7, 2022]U.S. counterintelligence officials are stepping up their efforts to warn state and local government leaders and corporate executives of the CCP’s increasing use of overt and covert Means to influence U.S. local and business policymaking to influence U.S. national policy.
As U.S.-China tensions escalate, China has launched an aggressive escalation campaign to lobby Or otherwise influence state, local and business leaders.
The Center for Counterintelligence and Security said in the bulletin: “As tensions between Beijing and Washington intensify, the Chinese (CCP) government under Xi Jinping has increasingly exploited these sub-national relationships between China and the United States, namely state and Commercial relationships and cultural exchanges at the local level to influence U.S. policy and pursue additional geopolitical interests.”
CCP exploits U.S. state-level independence for infiltration activities
The anti-espionage bulletin stated that the CCP government’s infiltration operations are approaching, including open diplomatic activities, as well as secret activities; in the diplomatic activities, the role of the CCP government has been recognized, and in the secret activities, the CCP government’s actions are covert. Coercive and even illegal. Tactics used by the CCP include: gathering information on U.S. state and local leaders and their associates; targeting these leaders early in their careers with the aim of using them to serve CCP interests as they advance to higher positions; Reward or punish leaders with trade and investment.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Chinese government “knows” that U.S. state and local leaders enjoy a degree of independence from the federal government in Washington, the Chinese government seeks to use them as proxies to advocate for Beijing’s desired U.S. national policies, including Improve U.S. economic cooperation with the CCP and reduce U.S. criticism of China’s repression of Taiwan, Tibetans, Uyghurs, pro-democracy activists, and others.
The NCSC’s announcement describes China’s attempts to circumvent tensions outside the U.S. federal government. Human rights, trade tariffs, the war in Ukraine and China’s increasingly assertive attitude toward Taiwan have all become hot spots of friction between the world‘s two largest economies.
The intelligence advisory on Wednesday said that “financial incentives” to U.S. localities are a common tactic of the Chinese Communist Party in order to win the “favor” of local U.S. officials because state-level officials focus on local economic issues.
Under certain circumstances, “the CCP or its proxies may compel state and local leaders to take actions that are in their local interests, but also advance an agenda that is in the interests of the CCP, and sometimes even exceeds the national interests of the United States,” the announcement said.
In addition, officials at the state, local, tribal and regional levels “have the potential to be manipulated to support the CCP’s covert agenda,” the NCSC said, because the CCP is “very deceptive and coercive in exerting influence, seemingly benign business.” Opportunities or normal exchanges between people can sometimes cover up the CCP’s political plots.”
China’s actions could ultimately threaten the integrity of the U.S. policy-making process and interfere with the way U.S. civic, economic, and political life works, the announcement said.
At the same time, the advisory bulletin also emphasized not to overreact, pointing out that it is important for U.S. state and local leaders not to be skeptical of all outreach activities from China, and saying that the CCP threat is not from ordinary Chinese citizens, nor is it Chinese-Americans. People are often victims of the CCP’s dictatorship.
Name two front-line organizations of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China
Wednesday’s announcement said the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department leads those infiltrating overseas through a number of front groups. Also involved in such overseas infiltration activities include the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of State Security, and Ministry of Education, Chinese embassies and consulates in the United States, and various semi-official entities or agents.
The announcement said the CCP’s practices included using cutting-edge organizations such as the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The State Department described the CPAFFC as “a Beijing-based organization whose mission is to woo (U.S.) local governments” and “attempt to directly and maliciously influence state and local leaders to advance China’s (CCP) global agenda.”
Another group mentioned in the announcement is the National Association for China’s Peaceful Reunification, which advocates Beijing’s views on Taiwan and Tibet in letters to members of Congress and others under the banner of promoting U.S.-China relations . In 2020, the Trump administration listed the group as a foreign mission, which it said was controlled by the United Front Work Department.
The announcement advises state and local leaders to take precautions against CCP infiltration operations and refuse to sign any agreements that go against U.S. national policy, even if those agreements are beneficial locally in the short term; adhere to the open and transparent terms of any agreement; and work with other local leaders and U.S. authorities share experiences.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#