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U. S. intelligence agencies have warned of influence operations in city halls and state palaces. But what does this bring to Beijing?
By Mara Hvistendahl
Mara Hvistendahl is an investigative reporter who has covered China for years.
When a former aide to New York’s governor was charged this year with acting as a Chinese agent, the federal indictment suggested an unexpected point of interest about Beijing’s role in the governance of American states.
Chinese espionage at the domestic level, as well as piracy and theft of industrial secrets, are big news. But intelligence officials and prosecutors say Chinese diplomats and their representatives are increasingly offering rewards — perks, pandas for local zoos, even salt ducks — to shape local policy or curry favor with a city hall or state palace.
Here’s why.
There was a time when members of Congress visited China. These have almost stopped. In many parts of the United States, China is so unpopular that a lawmaker can simply pay a political fee to visit.
Some members of Congress may also be risky to associate with others close to Beijing. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. , was the subject of a two-year ethics investigation after reports that an alleged Chinese spy helped raise the budget for his 2014 campaign. The investigators decided to do nothing and closed the case.
For Beijing, local leaders are the solution.
“As Washington’s attitude toward China hardens, the attitude of states becomes critical,” read a 2019 statement prepared through a Chinese think organization and Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
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