'Malign influence': Top Biden official faces backlash ahead of address at forum with deep ties to CCP

The Biden administration is facing backlash aft it was revealed connected societal media that a apical authoritative would beryllium participating successful a two-day forum hosted by a radical with heavy ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns volition beryllium a keynote talker astatine the 5th US-China Hong Kong Forum starting Friday, which is being hosted by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), according to the group's website.

Burns' determination to talk determination has sparked disapproval from China experts, including 1 adept who told Fox News Digital that Burns is "legitimizing Beijing’s malign influence."

"Both Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping person called the agreed beforehand a ‘magic weapon.’ It’s highly deceptive due to the fact that it allows the Chinese Communist Party to beforehand its interests successful America with American voices," said Michael Sobolik, writer of "Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance."

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U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns is speaking astatine a forum with heavy CCP ties (Fox News)

"If you privation to recognize Beijing’s agelong game, look nary further. They cultivate relationships with strategically placed Americans to parrot CCP propaganda nether the guise of escaped speech," Sobolik, a Senior Fellow successful Indo-Pacific Studies astatine the American Foreign Policy Council, added. 

"By attending this conference, Amb. Burns is legitimizing Beijing’s malign influence. He should beryllium calling it retired and blunting it."

"Especially atrocious determination connected the eve of the Hong Kong 47 pro ideology activists scheduled for sentencing," U.S. Director of the Committee for Freedom successful Hong Kong Jonathan Stivers posted connected X. "State Dept. should beryllium sanctioning HK officials not joining their conference."

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Fox News Digital has previously reported connected CUSEF's ties to the CCP and its president, James Chau, who "joined CUSEF successful 2018" and was "working with its laminitis The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa" earlier helium became the group’s president successful 2023, according to his CUSEF bio.

Fox News Digital has extensively reported connected Tung Chee-hwa, who served arsenic a vice seat of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a cardinal portion of the CCP’s agreed beforehand system, which operates to beforehand the CCP's interests astatine location and abroad.

Tung Chee-hwa, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). (YouTube/Screenshot)

One study details however Julia Wilson, a Black nationalist relations consultant, was paid implicit $1 cardinal by Chee-hwa's CUSEF to assistance the Chinese authorities larn astir Black Americans and summation power with historically achromatic colleges and universities and Black leaders. 

"In 2009, the erstwhile main enforcement of Hong Kong [Tung Chee-hwa] visited maine successful my bureau with his unit from the China-United States Exchange Foundation, and they wanted to cognize however we got a Black president," Wilson, whose bureau is crossed the thoroughfare from the White House, told assemblage students during a 2017 presentation. "They were saying, 'We don't cognize thing astir Black people. So tin you constitute america a achromatic insubstantial and stock it with us? How did Black radical get capable powerfulness to ballot a Black antheral into office?' So they truly needed an overview of our history. Who are we? Who are African Americans?"

CUSEF's astir caller yearly report, which was published successful July, reveals however the "independent, non-profit and non-governmental foundation" is heavy influenced by the CCP, ranging from advisers and partners to donors. 

One of the apical partners of CUSEF is the People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, which was antecedently labeled arsenic a "Beijing-based enactment tasked with co-opting subnational governments" and seeking to "directly and malignly power authorities and section leaders to beforehand the PRC’s planetary agenda," according to a 2022 study from the Biden administration’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Another spouse connected CUSEF's yearly study is the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an instrumental portion of the CCP's apparatus that regularly coordinates with apical CCP branches and leaders, according to its website. Other partners see apical Chinese and American universities similar Princeton, Georgetown, Harvard and Columbia. Sidwell Friends School, the elite backstage schoolhouse wherever erstwhile President Obama's daughters and President Biden's grandchildren attended, was besides connected the list.

In summation to Burns, respective different erstwhile U.S. officials are scheduled to enactment successful the forum, including erstwhile President Obama's ambassador to China, Max Baucus, and Rick Waters, who served arsenic the apical China argumentation authoritative successful Biden's State Department.

U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus (C) looks connected arsenic U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) introduces his delegation to Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) astatine the Great Hall of the People successful Beijing connected January 27, 2016.  ( Andy Wong/AFP via Getty Images)

Baucus, a longtime person and erstwhile Senate workfellow of Biden, has extended ties to China done his institute, which Fox News Digital antecedently reported was funded by a Chinese institution whose laminitis has heavy ties to the CCP and was recognized as the party’s "National Outstanding Communist Party Member" successful 2021. His institute's China study-abroad programme is besides astir afloat funded by CUSEF, according to its website.

Baucus besides met with Hunter Biden, who boasted that helium had a "very bully relationship" with Baucus, and his Chinese concern associates connected aggregate occasions, according to emails previously reported by Fox News Digital.  

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Several of CUSEF's donors, who see Chinese billionaires, besides person CCP ties. Wang Jianlin, the billionaire seat of the Wanda Group, is simply a CCP subordinate and served successful the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He is besides a longtime subordinate of the CPPCC. Bernard Chan, different donor listed successful CUSEF's yearly report, appears to beryllium the aforesaid Bernard Chan who served arsenic the Hong Kong Deputy to the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, the highest organ of authorities powerfulness successful the CCP, for 15 years.

Multiple members of CUSEF's governing committee besides person CCP ties, including Peter Woo, who is presently a subordinate of the Standing Committee of the 11th CPPCC. Liu Changle, the laminitis of the Chinese state-owned Phoenix Satellite Television, besides has respective CCP ties, according to CUSEF's website.

The White House, State Department and CUSEF did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

Fox News' Jessica Chasmar contributed reporting.