Biden Official Faces Criticism Before Speaking at Forum Linked to CCP

A top official from the Biden administration is facing criticism after it was disclosed on social media that they would be attending a two-day forum organized by a group with close links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The 5th US-China Hong Kong Forum, hosted by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), will feature U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns as a keynote speaker starting Friday.

Beijing's malign influence is being legitimized by Burns' decision to speak there, according to criticism from China experts, including one who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital.

"Michael Sobolik, author of "Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance," stated that both Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping have referred to the united front as a "magic weapon." However, he emphasized that this term is highly deceptive because it enables the Chinese Communist Party to advance its interests in America with the use of American voices."

Sobolik, a Senior Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, stated that to comprehend Beijing's long-term strategy, one should examine their relationships with strategically positioned Americans who disseminate CCP propaganda under the guise of free speech.

"Amb. Burns is legitimizing Beijing's malign influence by attending this conference. He should be calling it out and blunting it."

"The US Director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, Jonathan Stivers, posted on X that the decision to sentence 47 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on the eve of their sentencing was a particularly bad one. He urged the State Department to sanction Hong Kong officials who were not attending their conference."

CUSEF, a Hong Kong-based organization, has connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its president, James Chau, who joined the group in 2018 and worked with its founder, The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa, before becoming its president in 2023, as stated in his CUSEF bio.

Tung Chee-hwa, who served as a vice chair of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has been extensively reported on by Planet Chronicle Digital as a key figure in the CCP's united front system, which aims to advance the party's interests at home and abroad.

A report reveals that Julia Wilson, a Black public relations consultant, received more than $1 million from Chee-hwa's CUSEF to assist the Chinese government in understanding Black Americans and establishing connections with historically black colleges and universities and Black leaders.

"In 2009, Tung Chee-hwa, the former chief executive of Hong Kong, visited me in my office with his staff from the China-United States Exchange Foundation. They wanted to know how we managed to elect a Black president. They were curious about our history and identity as African Americans. They asked for a white paper that would provide an overview of our journey to power and how we were able to vote for a Black man."

The annual report of CUSEF, published in July, shows that the "independent, non-profit and non-governmental foundation" is heavily influenced by the CCP, with advisers, partners, and donors all being linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

The People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries is one of the top partners of CUSEF, as stated in a 2022 report from the Biden administration's Director of National Intelligence (DNI). This Beijing-based organization was previously labeled as a "subnational government co-optation" group and aimed to "directly and malignantly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC's global agenda."

The China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a key component of the CCP's apparatus, is among the partners on CUSEF's annual report. Other partners include top Chinese and American universities such as Princeton, Georgetown, Harvard, and Columbia. Additionally, Sidwell Friends School, the prestigious private school attended by former President Obama's daughters and President Biden's grandchildren, is also included on the list.

Besides Burns, other former US officials, such as Max Baucus, Obama's ambassador to China, and Rick Waters, the top China policy official in Biden's State Department, are also scheduled to participate in the forum.

Biden's former Senate colleague and longtime friend, Baucus, has significant connections to China through his institute, which was previously reported to be funded by a Chinese company with ties to the CCP. Additionally, his institute's China study-abroad program is almost entirely funded by CUSEF, as stated on its website.

Baucus had a "very good relationship" with Hunter Biden and his Chinese business associates, as reported by Planet Chronicle Digital through previously leaked emails.

Several of CUSEF's donors, including Chinese billionaires, have ties to the Communist Party of China (CCP). Wang Jianlin, the billionaire chair of the Wanda Group, is a CCP member and served in the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He is also a longtime member of the CPPCC. Bernard Chan, another donor listed in CUSEF's annual report, served as the Hong Kong Deputy to the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China for 15 years, the highest organ of state power in the CCP.

Several members of CUSEF's governing board have CCP ties, including Peter Woo, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the 11th CPPCC, and Liu Changle, the founder of the Chinese state-owned Phoenix Satellite Television, according to CUSEF's website.

No comment was received from the White House, State Department, or CUSEF in response to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

Planet Chronicle' Jessica Chasmar contributed reporting.