How CCP bought New York politics

Author

Global Recap
September 28, 2023 • Read in: 7 minutes

Hi Global Recap readers,

I know I say this often, but I have a particularly wild and dramatic newsletter prepared for y’all today.

Just take a look at the headers of the stories below.

🌐 Here’s what’s up around the world:

  • 🐟 Taiwan Shows Off Its First Homegrown Submarine.

  • 🇷🇺 Russia Admits It Can’t Win the War Against Ukraine.

  • 🇨🇦 Trudeau Apologizes for Praising Nazi Collaborator.

  • 🇸🇰 Slovakia’s Next Prime Minister: A Putin Fan?

  • 🇨🇳 How CCP Bought New York Politics.

Let’s get into today’s news.

📈 Top News

🐟 Taiwan’s First Homegrown Submarine. Taiwan has unveiled its first self-made submarine, hoping to boost its defense against China. It hired experts and sourced technologies from many countries around the globe to realize this goal.

But the sub is still two years away from being operational, and China took a savage jab at Taiwan.

“(Taiwan) is over-rating itself and attempting something impossible.”

China's Defense Ministry

🇷🇺 Russia Admits It Can’t Win the War Against Ukraine? Some analysts believe so. Russia said it could take Ukraine in just 2 days, but now, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has revealed that the war will last at least until 2025.

And what’s significant about this year? The US may have a new president in the White House. Is Russia crossing its fingers for a new US administration?

🇨🇦 Trudeau Apologizes for Praising Nazi Collaborator. Canada’s PM gave “unreserved apologies” for honoring a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran who fought with the Nazis in WWII as a war hero. A “horrendous violation” of Holocaust victims’ memory, he admits.

TL;DR: During President Zelensky’s visit last week, the House Speaker unknowingly led a standing ovation for a Nazi-linked veteran. The Speaker resigned over the blunder.

🇸🇰 Slovakia’s Putin Fan Could Turn the Tide Against Ukraine. Slovakia stands on the brink of electing a new prime minister who harbors a deep affection for Russia and a stark opposition to Ukraine. The candidate, Robert Fico, is no stranger to the position, having previously served as PM before his ousting in 2018 over a journalist’s murder.

Now, he’s back and fueled by vengeance, with promises to halt the provision of weapons and aid to Kyiv and instead foster closer ties with Moscow.

  • His party is leading the polls.

  • The election is scheduled for 30 September 2023.

✍️ In-Depth

United States
How CCP Bought New York Politics

🇨🇳 China’s Secret Agents in New York. They donated to politicians, ran a police station, and tried to kidnap a dissident.

Yep, you read that right.

You will know the names of their top recipients.

👩‍💼 The Big Reveal. A new Newsweek investigation exposed how dozens of Chinese groups and their leaders in New York have been funneling money to local and federal candidates for decades. Some of them have been charged with acting as foreign agents for China.

💰 The Money Trail. The investigation found that over $1 million in donations from groups linked to the CCP’s “united front” network since 1990. Their mission? Steering overseas Chinese and foreign elites to serve Beijing’s interests.

👀 The Top Recipients. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of the donations were:

  • Hillary Clinton,

  • Eric Adams,

  • Grace Meng,

  • Kathy Hochul.

They also attended events hosted by the groups, often alongside Chinese diplomats.

🤔 The Gravity of the Situation. Here’s the first paragraph from the Newsweek investigation that pretty much summarizes the issue:

“Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) once declared a "President An Quanzhong Day" in her congressional district to honor the China-born businessman's work for his Chinese hometown association in New York—while her campaign took thousands of dollars in donations from An.”

An is now facing charges of working with Chinese officials to force US residents back to China.

🚨 The Legal Trouble. Some of the donors have been arrested for allegedly conspiring with Chinese officials to harass, surveil, and repatriate US residents under the CCP’s covert global operation named “Operation Fox Hunt.” Another donor was accused of hosting a secret Chinese police station in Manhattan.

🦊 What is Operation Fox Hunt? It is a campaign launched by President Xi Jinping in 2014 to pursue fugitives accused of corruption and other crimes. China says it has arrested over 40 of its 100 most wanted suspects globally.

👀 How Does It Work? China uses its United Front Work Department, a party organ that oversees overseas influence operations, to coordinate with local agents and operatives. They often pose as tourists, businessmen, or diplomats, and use various tactics to pressure their targets.

🤷‍♂️ The Political Fallout. The politicians who received the donations denied any personal relationship with the donors or knowledge of their alleged activities (Adms and Meng), while Clinton’s office declined to comment.

I urge you to go and read the exclusive investigation by Newsweek here.