State of Mankind

Pandemic Spotlights New York State’s Close Political Ties With Beijing

Commentary by Kelly Song
May 15, 2020


Since March 2020, New York has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States.

The Chinese regime’s coverup and mishandling of the outbreak has highlighted Beijing’s deceptive tactics.

It has also prompted some countries and institutions to re-examine their relationship with Beijing.

Will New York State do the same, given its close political ties with Beijing?

New York has always been a highly coveted target to conquer for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From finance to real estate, entertainment to media, Ivy League institutions to school boards, state government to community organizations, the CCP has been using a whole-of-country approach to extend its influence into every fabric of society.

Below, we take a look at Beijing’s influence at all levels of government in New York State.

Investment and Cooperation on All Levels

The Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Annual Report released in 2019 said: “With deep coffers and the help of Western enablers, the CCP uses money, rather than communist ideology, as a powerful source of influence, creating parasitic relationships of long-term dependence.”

By the end of 2015, Chinese businesses had made a total investment of $9.5 billion in 95 projects across the state of New York. By the end of 2016, the numbers rose to $15.5 billion in roughly 120 projects across the state. China became New York State’s biggest trading partner outside of North America, with China as the top export destination for the state.

Since 2016, the New York state government has actively set up trade and investment cooperation relationships with six Chinese provinces or municipalities: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Beijing, and Shanghai. Former New York lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul stressed that the scale of the U.S. and Chinese economies “really demands closer integration.”

In addition, there were 10 pairs of sister cities between the State of New York and China by 2015.
The ‘Western Enablers’

Such a relationship is not possible without the “Western enablers,” who are pro-Beijing groups and U.S.-based Beijing-funded businesses. For example:

China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), chaired by Xu Chen, President and CEO of Bank of China USA.

China Construction America (CCA), headed by Yuan Ning and based in New Jersey, is a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. (CSCEC).

China Institute caters to a large pool of corporate members by providing them access to “expert guidance on building brand exposure in the Chinese market” among other perks. It also houses the first Confucius Institute (CI@CI) in New York, since 2006.

Asian American Community Empowerment (BRACE) was established in 2013. Its board members include community leaders, association presidents, and various business and trade corporations, with a total membership of nearly 10,000.

Sino-American Friendship Association has invited Beijing to participate in the Times Square New Year Eve celebration since 2011, enabling Chinese performance groups and Chinese consulate members to portray a positive image of the Chinese regime.
Beijing’s Diplomatic Efforts

Since 2017, there has been increasing international scrutiny of CCP’s industrial espionage; investments overseas, including its Belt and Road projects; military build-up in the South China Sea; and unfair trade practices.

All that drove Beijing to elevate its efforts to boost its image overseas, especially in New York State.
An Unexpected Transfer

In November 2018, then-Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Huang Ping, was unexpectedly transferred to the Chinese consulate in New York to become Consul General.

South China Morning Post quoted Robert Kapp, former president of the U.S.-China Business Council, who said the move was to counter a more aggressive stance toward Beijing since President Donald Trump took office. “This is a time of crisis in U.S.-China relations,” Kapp said.

CGCC hosted a welcoming event for Huang in December 2018. Over 100 local business leaders attended, including Andy Purdy, former director of the national cyber security division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and now chief security officer at Huawei Technologies USA; Ed Amoroso, former CSO of AT and T; and Tony Scott, former CIO at Microsoft and the Walt Disney Company.

Chairman Xu Chen pledged CGCC’s commitment to “work together with the Consul General to bring more Chinese companies to the ten eastern states, and to bring about a new era in Sino-U.S. trade and commerce.”
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

In March 2019, Huang met with more than a dozen lawmakers in Albany and visited several city council offices.

Huang urged the New York State government and city governments to support exchanges and cooperation with China.

In return, a delegation of state lawmakers, led by Toby A. Stavisky, vice chair of the Senate Majority Conference, visited Huang at the New York Chinese consulate in May. Huang asked the legislature to “handle the sensitive matters appropriately,” according to a post on the Chinese consulate website.
The ‘China Day’ Resolution

Such diplomacy resulted in the “China Day” New York Senate resolution, the first in the nation to commemorate October 1, the 70th anniversary of the CCP’s takeover of China.

On June 18, 2019, representatives of the Chinese consulate and pro-Beijing organizations were invited to witness the passing of the resolution on the New York Senate floor.

The groups instrumental to making the resolution possible were the American Chinese Commerce Association, Asian American Community Empowerment (BRACE), and American Chinese Development Center.

These groups hosted a celebration of the “China Day Resolution” in Brooklyn on July 20, 2019. State senators, assembly members, and city council members attended. Senator James Sanders was the sponsor of the resolution.

Sanders said that it was his wish that through the resolution, New York State will become the leader in the U.S. cooperation with China, according to a post about the event on the BRACE website.

Another celebration organized by 17 local pro-Beijing groups took place one month later at the David H. Koch theater in Lincoln Center. At the event, Sanders praised China, saying, “Chinese Americans built America, China built the world.”
Trips to China

The chairman of BRACE, John S. Chan, told pro-Beijing newspaper China Press that the group has been working for years on the resolution.

In April 2017, BRACE organized an 18-person “New York Economic Relations Friendship Delegation” to visit Beijing and Shanghai. The delegation consisted of five New York state lawmakers.

The lawmakers were welcomed by top officials in Beijing city’s rubber-stamp legislature.

On Sept. 15, 2019, the New York Economic Relations Friendship Delegation sponsored by BRACE and the American Chinese Commerce Association Hong Kong once again embarked on a two-week trip to China. The delegation, led by Sen. Sanders, visited eight cities. According to a China Press report, they discussed cooperation between New York State and China in areas such as commerce, education, and internet technology.
Bloomberg’s Support

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, is a supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt One Road) and other China interests.

Two weeks after Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in June 2017, Bloomberg spoke at a high-level gathering of Chinese and foreign dignitaries that included China’s Ambassador Cui Tiankai, former Hong Kong Chief Executive C.H. Tung, Asia Society Policy Institute President and former Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Asia Society President Josette Sheeran.

In his speech, Bloomberg praised China’s climate change initiatives, saying, “China does deserve a lot of credit for its leadership which sets a strong example for other countries.”

On the financial front, Bloomberg Philanthropies hosted the first high level U.S.-China business forum in April 2017. He said, “Over the last year (2016), I’ve been chairing a working group to help make it possible to trade and clear the RMB (Chinese currency) in the U.S.”

He spoke of milestones in China’s finance sector cooperation with the United States. “Last year the Bank of China New York branch became the first clearing bank in the U.S. The first American CD in RMB was issued. The first U.S. based license to trade Chinese stocks and bonds was issued. In March, Bloomberg became the first financial data provider to provide Chinese bonds and fixed income indexes.”

He went on to talk about BRI: “Investing in infrastructure is the best way to spur economic growth. Our company has hosted a series of events around the world called, ‘China navigating the new silk road.’ This year, it was held in Geneva, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, London, and attended by the Chinese ambassador in the country.”

Chinese Construction in New York

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Pandemic Spotlights New York State’s Close Political Ties With Beijing