New York GOP Lawmakers Make ‘Friendship Trip’ to China

New York State Republican legislators have traveled to China for a ten-day visit as part of a “friendship delegation,” reportedly accompanied by a Chinese Communist Party organ tasked with co-opting state-government officials.

In a publicly issued warning last year, the intelligence community pointed to the key role that that organization, called the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, plays in Beijing’s influence operations. In 2020, then–secretary of state Mike Pompeo labeled it “a Beijing based organization tasked with co-opting subnational governments” that “has sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC’s global agenda.”

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Jimmy Quinn

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

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New York State Republican legislators have traveled to China for a ten-day visit as part of a “friendship delegation,” reportedly accompanied by a Chinese Communist Party organ tasked with co-opting state-government officials.

In a publicly issued warning last year, the intelligence community pointed to the key role that that organization, called the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, plays in Beijing’s influence operations. In 2020, then–secretary of state Mike Pompeo labeled it “a Beijing based organization tasked with co-opting subnational governments” that “has sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC’s global agenda.”