Why US Politicians befriending China is dangerous

[Grouse]

China has plans for the US, and they are not in our best interests.

By Thomas Gallatin

This past summer, the FBI arrested six Chinese researchers for lying on their visa applications and for being suspected of engaging in efforts to steal intellectual property at the direction of the Chinese government. On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that 1,000 additional Chinese "researchers" had fled the country. Coincidence?

Assistant Attorney General John Demers explained that the arrests "allowed us to message the Chinese government: If you're going to send individuals here, you've got to do so honestly and you can't hide their affiliation to the Chinese government and the Chinese military." However, according to another anonymous official, the number of Chinese researchers that left the U.S. surprised the DOJ: "The breadth and depth of the exodus was not expected, but it was appreciated."

Analyst Gary Bauer, however, argues that the DOJ's "surprise" regarding the number of Chinese individuals engaged in espionage is confounding. "For the past 30 years, 'cultural exchange' programs with China have flourished in the United States, all the while facilitating Beijing's aggressive espionage efforts," Bauer writes. Yet, he adds, "Previous administrations of both parties generally ignored it, too afraid of upsetting the status quo."

The scope of Beijing's efforts to spy on and steal intellectual property from the U.S. should be an obvious indication of which country stands as the greatest threat to America today. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe certainly agrees with that assessment, as he labeled China the United States' number one security threat. In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, Ratcliffe contends that China is gearing up to face off against the U.S. soon. "Beijing is preparing for an open-ended period of confrontation with the U.S.," he says. "Washington should also be prepared. Leaders must work across partisan divides to understand the threat, speak about it openly, and take action to address it."

Ratcliffe then asserts, "This generation will be judged by its response to China's effort to reshape the world in its own image and replace America as the dominant superpower. The intelligence is clear. Our response must be as well."

[Grouse]

Columbia Failed to Disclose $1 Million in CCP Funding

Ivy League school maintains lucrative relationship with Confucius Institute

Columbia University failed to disclose at least $1 million in Chinese government funding that went toward hosting a Confucius Institute, which the State Department has described as a part of Beijing's propaganda effort targeting U.S. students.

The New York-based university is the only Ivy League institution to host a Confucius Institute, a controversial Chinese government-funded program that at its height operated in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Hanban, the Beijing-controlled entity that manages the Confucius Institute, pledged at least $1 million in donations to Columbia University, according to a Chinese state media report. Department of Education records show that Columbia never disclosed any such donations to the federal government.

At least part of the Chinese government money went toward bringing on Prof. Wei Dedong, an adviser to the Chinese regime's propaganda department, to serve as the director of Columbia's Confucius Institute starting in 2016. Wei, who is an associate professor at Renmin University in Beijing, gave several lectures and organized events at Columbia, including a seminar on "China's regulation of religious affairs" in Tibet. He also oversaw the Confucius Institute's Mandarin instruction and grant programs for Columbia students.

The outsized role of a Chinese government adviser in an Ivy League school is in line with widespread concerns about the Confucius Institute, which critics say is a propaganda apparatus that hopes to influence how young Americans think about China. The controversial program has prompted bipartisan concern in Congress. Government scrutiny has convinced dozens of schools to drop Confucius Institute partnerships, making Columbia University one of the last remaining high-profile universities with a Confucius Institute program.

The Washington Free Beacon

Edited December 8, 2020 by Grouse