Is the Chinese Communist Party Influencing US State Governments?

It’s no secret that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has spent years trying to expand its influence inside the United States. But just how far has that influence reached – and how deeply implanted are CCP agents in the governing infrastructure of individual American states?

California’s Chinese Communist Party Connection

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma has, perhaps unknowingly, revealed a strong connection to important CCP figures, having met repeatedly in the US and China with top Chinese officials and individuals linked to intelligence circles, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

Ma – who is currently running for lieutenant governor of the Golden State – allegedly worked to connect American lawmakers to Chinese intelligence personnel. On numerous occasions, Ma also “presented awards to CCP members and influence operatives,” DCNF reported, and told Chinese state-run media: “We really should be more integrated. The more that we can get along, work together, I think would create more peace in the world as well as better economic opportunities for both countries.”

The Democrat candidate has reportedly attended at least 30 meetings with CCP officials and high-level personnel in the United Front Work Department (UFWD). The UFWD is a Chinese agency that blends “engagement, influence activities, and intelligence operations that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses to shape its political environment, including to influence other countries’ policy toward the PRC and to gain access to advanced foreign technology,” according to a report by the House Select Committee on the CCP.

Ma previously came under fire for her connection to a Chinese educational institution called Pegasus California School, where she was allegedly offering students assistance with obtaining internships and employment in the United States. Pegasus California School is located in Qingdao, China, and guarantees that its students will be accepted to a top-100 American university, “or their money back,” Business Insider noted.

Former FBI agent Tracy Walder recently told NewsNation that when she was at the FBI, it had two offices that scrutinized cases involving Chinese spies – but now, there are open espionage investigations in every agency office nationwide.

“What [the agents] are trying to do is get policies favorable to anti-Taiwan stances, getting the message out that there’s no genocide toward the Uyghurs, as well as just geopolitically getting policies that are favorable to them,” Walder said. “I think (Chinese influence is) more pervasive than we think.”

Arizona and the Red Dragon

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has, in recent years, raised eyebrows over her opposition to several bills that sought to limit the CCP’s influence in the Grand Canyon State. Just last year, she vetoed legislation aimed at blocking foreign adversaries from purchasing land near military installations and critical infrastructure. In a statement, Hobbs said she opposed the bill because it was “weak and spineless.”

The governor also vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the use of taxpayer funds for “genetic sequencing procedures performed with devices produced by companies associated with foreign adversaries,” arguing it could hurt Arizona’s “strained healthcare system,” The Center Square reported.

Josh Hodges, who previously served as senior director at the National Security Council under President Donald Trump, warned that Hobbs has consistently voted against bipartisan bills that seek to rein in Chinese influence. Hodges argued the governor’s explanations have been “specious.”

Ma and Hobbs both appear to be playing fast and loose when it comes to CCP influence in their respective states, despite the FBI warning that Chinese communist espionage efforts pose a “grave threat” to the US. The pair of western lawmakers might consider Hodges assessment of the broader national concern: “Most Americans, including Arizonans, understand that they don’t want the Chinese increasing their leverage over the United States’ national, economic, state or regional security.”