REP. GRACE MENG OF NEW YORK ONCE DECLARED "President An Quanzhong Day" in her congressional district to honor a China-born businessman's work for his Chinese hometown association in New York. At the time, her campaign took thousands of dollars in donations from An.
Today An and his daughter-a green-card holder and a U.S. citizen, respectively, at the time of their arrests are among seven people facing charges of acting as foreign agents for allegedly colluding with Chinese officials to try to force a U.S. resident back to China against his will.
Another prolific donor to New York politicians was U.S. citizen Lu Jianwang, one of two men arrested for allegedly hosting a clandestine Chinese police station in Manhattan. Meng, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul all got thousands of dollars in donations from Lu and his brother.
A months-long Newsweek investigation uncovered donations to leading New York politicians by dozens of U.S.-based community groups and their leaders with close ties to the United Front Work Department or to a wider "united front system" operated globally by the Chinese Communist Party. The department reports directly to the Central Committee of the CCP. The donations stretch back decades; recipients include former New York Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Meng's campaigns received over $270,000 from such groups and their leaders since 2006, Newsweek's review shows.
The groups offer community services and business opportunities for members. But critics say the CCP uses the sprawling system to interfere in host countries by influencing local politicians, acting as a network to carry out "transnational repression" of the party's opponents and serving as a conduit for espionage by China's security services.
None of the associations mentioned in this report responded to Newsweek's requests for comment.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Zachary Quinto
ZACHARY QUINTO HAS PLAYED DOCTORS BEFORE, BUT HE'S \"NEVER PLAYED a doctor like\" the one he plays on NBC's Brilliant Minds (September 23).
Adam Brody
NETFLIX KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT MILLENNIALS want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love.
Partners in Crime
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt shares his delight at teaming up with Shailene Woodley again in new Amazon Prime movie Killer Heat
HOW TO FIND A WORKPLACE THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Insights from America's Top Most Loved Workplaces
MOST LOVED WORKPLACES 2024
AT A TIME WHEN WORKERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO redefine what they expect from their jobs, the companies on Newsweek's annual list of the Most Loved Workplaces in America are setting the standard for what a fulfilling workplace looks like.
Q&A LEE YARON
With 10/7, the professional became profoundly personal.
SDEROT INTERSECTION
How Jewish and Arab strangers united to rescue two little girls amidst Hamas' October 7 attack
No End in Sight
AS TENSIONS CONTINUE TO FLARE AT ISRAEL'S BORDERS, NEWSWEEK DISCOVERS HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED IN THE REGION A YEAR ON FROM THE OCTOBER 7 HAMAS ATTACKS
Thai Scammers Set Sights on US
Newsweek looks inside the Southeast Asian country's $2 billion cybercrime industry and how American citizens are now falling prey to sophisticated schemes run overseas
PARTING SHOT: Sarah Paulson
\"CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE AIR WAS JUST FILLED WITH DUST PARTICLES and you literally could not breathe?\" That's what Sarah Paulson is tackling in her new film Hold Your Breath (October 3).