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While the US government needs to adopt a no-tolerance policy toward attempts by Chinese security forces to travel to the United States to secretly harass, manipulate, intimidate, and monitor China’s perceived enemies in the United States, the best antidote to such intrusion is for federal and local governments to do more to strengthen ties to Chinese American communities and to give greater visibility into the various inducements and pressures Beijing exerts on these communities. That the FBI has begun to reach out to prominent Chinese in the United States, offering protection, is a good beginning.

A sustained education campaign is also urgently needed to inform the members of the Chinese American community of the potential adverse consequences of involvement with China’s united front activities. Chinese American organizations also need to do a better job of informing themselves about the underlying goals of PRC’s united front organizations as there are potential reputational costs of allying with them and losing independence. It can be taken as a positive sign that, for example, the Committee of 100, an organization founded by many illustrious Chinese Americans, has begun to debate the possibility of barring its leading members from accepting positions with PRC united front organizations officially aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.29

China’s activities in the United States can also be made more transparent by requiring spin-off groups from united front organizations in Beijing to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act as agents of a foreign power. This would include all of the bureaus of the Peaceful Reunification Council, the China Overseas Exchange Association, and the China Overseas Friendship Association, among others that are, in fact, influence-seeking organizations with political implications run by a foreign state. In addition, Chinese Americans who accept positions in united front structures—such as the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—should also be required to register as agents of a foreign power seeking influence in the United States. China has tried to sell these “honors” to the Chinese American community as a costfree way of expressing their sincere feelings of pride in China. However, the reality is that once a person accepts such “honors,” along with free travel to China and other emoluments, the Chinese Communist Party will always seek to exact a further price. And where that price creates divided loyalties and results in actions harmful to American interests and values, the US government must respond with appropriate legal and regulatory measures.

NOTES

1 For a broad take on the issue of Chinese influence operations, see Mattis, Peter, “An American Lens on China’s Interference and Influence-Building Abroad.” The Asan Forum. April 30, 2018. http://www.theasanforum.org/an-american-lens-on-chinas-interference-and-influence-building-abroad/; for a more in-depth look at the individuals involved both on the Chinese and American sides, see Eades, Mark, “China’s United Front Seeks to Undermine US Support for Taiwan.” International Policy Digest. September 11, 2017. https://intpolicydigest.org/2017/09/11/china-s-united-front-seeks-to-undermine-u-s-support-for-taiwan/; “Florence Fang’s

The Chinese American Community
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