Confucius Institute: China’s Influence Operation in Washington State Public School Exposed

Last November, students from the choir of Lincoln High School, in Tacoma, Wash., performed a concert for Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. While Peng didn’t appear in person for the performance, which celebrated her birthday, it was recorded for her and Xi, and it kicked off an exchange of new year’s greetings last month.

After the concert, Chinese state media organs whipped into action to promote narratives about the school, and not for the first time. Xi had visited Lincoln High in 2015, during his trip to Washington State. The following year, the school’s principal said that a woman from China had even applied to work there, calling Lincoln “the most famous high school in the world.”

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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Last November, students from the choir of Lincoln High School, in Tacoma, Wash., performed a concert for Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. While Peng didn’t appear in person for the performance, which celebrated her birthday, it was recorded for her and Xi, and it kicked off an exchange of new year’s greetings last month.

After the concert, Chinese state media organs whipped into action to promote narratives about the school, and not for the first time. Xi had visited Lincoln High in 2015, during his trip to Washington State. The following year, the school’s principal said that a woman from China had even applied to work there, calling Lincoln “the most famous high school in the world.”