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Global (Winter 2020) Instructor: Professor Yuen Yuen Ang Fact-checking a claim Date: 5 April 2020

Chinese Coercion and Censorship of Overseas Chinese

By Rachel Leung

Among the Chinese American community, China has long sought to influence—even silence—voices critical of the PRC or supportive of Taiwan by dispatching personnel to the to pressure these individuals and while also pressuring their relatives in China.

Beijing also views Chinese Americans as members of a worldwide Chinese diaspora that presumes them to retain not only an interest in the welfare of China but also a loosely defined cultural, and even political, allegiance to the so-called Motherland.

- “China's Influence & American Interests,” Hoover Institution, edited by Larry Diamond & Orville Schell

A common claim made about China is that the Chinese Communist Party seeks to influence, and even gag, Chinese American individuals who speak out against the Party, but this claim warrants further investigation. In a report about China’s Influence and American Interests published in 2018, Larry Diamond and Orville Schell promote this claim, alleging Beijing sees all ethnically Chinese people as a part of their “worldwide Chinese diaspora” (Diamond and Schell 39), and therefore, expect Chinese Americans to maintain an allegiance to China.

It is important to examine whether or not this claim has merit because its veracity can have severe consequences. If this claim has support, the intimidation and silencing of American citizens constitutes, as Diamond and Schell point out, a violation of free speech, and is worsened by the fact that this infringement of liberties is being done by a foreign government. However, if this claim is unfounded, it is spreading dangerous misinformation which could be deceiving the American public, and provoking violence or discrimination against Asian Americans.

First, to dive into this claim, it is necessary to unpack what “worldwide Chinese diaspora” means. Diamond and Schell define this term as the CCP’s belief that all ethnically Chinese individuals possess a “cultural, and even, political allegiance” (Diamond and Schell 39) to the Chinese nation, and are therefore, responsible for participating in the rejuvenation of China.

According to Diamond and Schell, the CCP expects all Chinese individuals to “owe some measure of loyalty” to the Party, no matter what their actual citizenship may be. Therefore, Diamond and Schell say the Party will work to silence any members of the Chinese community who do not hold pro-China opinions. Efforts to influence and intimidate Chinese Americans,

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Diamond and Schell say, include sending security officials to threaten Chinese individuals living in America, and threatening their relatives still living in China (Diamond and Schell 42).

Larry Diamond and Orville Schell make some bold claims, making it imperative to look into their background. Diamond is a fellow at ’s Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He has served as a consultant for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the United Nations, and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies dealing with policy and governance. He has authored and co-authored more than forty books on democratic development (“Larry Diamond”).

Currently, Orville Schell is the Director of the ’s Center on U.S.-China Relations. Prior to this role, he was a Dean and Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a journalist, who has reported for publications such as Magazine and . Schell has also been a contributor on China for PBS, NBC, and CBS, and has served as a correspondent for several documentaries on China (“Orville Schell”). Diamond and Schell both seem to have the academic and professional credentials to be considered experts on China. Both men currently hold academic roles in top universities and both have been selected by reputable news organizations to offer their opinions.

In their report, Diamond and Schell claim China uses overseas organizations to manage “united front” activities abroad (Diamond and Schell 41). If true, this piece of evidence would support Diamond and Schell’s claim that China is trying to influence overseas Chinese. The report names organizations such as the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification and the China Overseas Exchange Association as linked to the CCP. Diamond and Schell say these organizations are used to further the CCP’s interests by providing access points to Chinese individuals abroad. The CPPNR has seventy-six country chapters and thirty-six chapters, located across ten states (including New York, California, and Texas) within the U.S. (Dotson, “The United Front Work Department”). The existence of these organizations, at the very least, suggests China is trying to promote support for the reunification of China within the U.S. It is evident that these organizations exist in the U.S. and other foreign countries, but what remains unclear is the extent of their activities and influence within these countries.

According to Diamond and Schell, Beijing perceives overseas Chinese as a part of a worldwide Chinese diaspora. In an analysis of quotes from several overseas Chinese organizations, and speeches by Xi Jinping himself, it would seem that there is evidence to back the claim that Beijing still holds an interest in Chinese living abroad. Xinhua, the official state-run press agency of the People's Republic of China, published an article in 2019 reporting on overseas Chinese reactions to Xi Jinping’s speech to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chinese mainland's Message to Compatriots in Taiwan. Chen Jiannan, chairman of the CCPPNR in Egypt, is quoted as saying, “overseas Chinese will firmly uphold the great cause of peaceful reunification of the motherland and make contributions to this end” (Yi, “Overseas Chinese”). Chairwoman Wang Yeqin and Honorary Chairman Li Hongwei of the Chinese American Alliance for China’s Peaceful Reunification (CAACPR) said, “Overseas Chinese based in the Chicago area are dedicated to the great task of peaceful reunification of and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation” (“Acting Consul General Liu Jun”). Xi Jinping himself has said numerous times that he counts on the support of overseas Chinese to promote pro-China ideas, and that

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China is engaged with this community. Jinping said in a speech delivered at the 19th National Congress in 2017, “We will maintain extensive contacts with overseas Chinese nationals, returned Chinese and their relatives and unite them so that they can join our endeavors to revitalize the Chinese nation” (Xi, “19th National Congress”).

Diamond and Schell claim that China has launched an international campaign to “monitor, control, and even intimidate” Uighurs, no matter where in the world they are, and is targeting their families who still live in China (42). There have been numerous reports which have come out about how Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in China have been subject to arbitrary detention and repression (Roth, “World Report 2019”). What is more surprising, is that there is evidence China has detained individuals in China as a form of retaliation against Chinese exiles who have been critical of the People’s Republic of China. In 2018, China detained the family members of five U.S.-based Uighur reporters working for Radio Free Asia. The reporters had been covering the detention of Uighurs and their relocation to re-education camps in the region of Xinjiang, when they claim several of their family members were detained by Chinese authorities (Ramzy). This example supports the claim that China has gone through lengths to silence individuals who are critical of the PRC, even if these individuals live abroad.

It is not surprising that the PRC, an authoritarian nation known for censorship and punishment of dissidents, would take measures within their own country to retaliate against individuals who are critical of the CCP. Diamond and Schell, however, make the claim that China is intimidating dissidents in foreign countries, including the U.S. by sending Chinese security officials to America to pressure overseas Chinese (Diamond and Schell 42).

While China may have an international campaign to monitor ethnic minorities, there does not seem to be any evidence that Chinese officials are actually entering the U.S. to deliver these threats. There is evidence which suggests China is threatening ethnic minorities, like the Uighurs, in the U.S. and abroad, but are using methods that do not require them to send Chinese officials to these countries. It appears that China often uses threats against family members living in China to put pressure on Chinese exiles. The Daily Beast reports that China is forcing Uighurs to retrieve information about their family members abroad. The article includes several sources who claim that their family members in China have reached out to them with demands from Chinese authorities, and that they are told they are being surveilled (Allen-Ebrahimian).

Although China may not be sending Chinese officials to put pressure on overseas Chinese, China may be influencing Chinese Americans through media. As of 2015, state-owned broadcaster China Radio International owned thirty-three radio stations in fourteen countries (Nossel). According to a report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in 2019, the two dominant Chinese-language media organizations, Qiaobao (China Press) and SinoVision TV channel, are controlled “discreetly” by Chinese authorities and get content directly from Chinese state media. RSF claims China is investing about $1.3 billion annually to increase the global presence of Chinese media. The report documents that in 2018, H&H group, a New York investment firm with Beijing links, acquired XEWW 690, a Mexican radio station. RSF claims that China bought this radio station because it has the capability to reach all of southern California, which has a large Chinese community. The report alleges China plans to broadcast news and entertainment in Mandarin Chinese targeted at this community. In addition, RSF claims China is engaging in a

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Trojan horse policy by paying for targeted advertisements in foreign newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal. The report alleges one insert, called China Watch, is really a propaganda supplement written entirely by writers at China Daily, an English- language newspaper owned by the PRC (Alviani).

It is apparent China has acquired some media targeted at Chinese Americans and has written materials for Chinese American audiences, but their motivations for doing so remain unclear from the available evidence. It is important to note, however, that it is commonplace for other countries, including the U.S., to try to expand their international media reach. For example, many U.S. based news outlets have international branches.

In conclusion, I can accept part of Diamond and Schell’s claim, and I find the other part inconclusive. Beijing has made it clear that they consider overseas Chinese to be a part of a worldwide Chinese diaspora. Diamond and Schell also claim that China seeks to influence and silence dissidents by pressuring the family members of overseas Chinese who remain in China.

While I have found evidence to support this part of the claim, I cannot say the same for their claim that China dispatches officials to the U.S. to pressure individuals. Diamond and Schell provide suitable evidence for the previous claims, but do not present any concrete proof that China is sending authorities to deliver threats in person on foreign soil. In addition, China seems to have an apparent interest in reaching a broader international audience, but whether or not this desire rises to a level of seeking to influence and silence critics remains ambiguous.

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Works Cited

“Acting Consul General Liu Jun Attended Chinese American Alliance for China's Peaceful Reunification Conference Celebrating 40th Anniversary of Issuing of ‘Message to Compatriots in Taiwan.’” Chinese Consulate Chicago, 5 Jan. 2019, www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/lghd/t1631874.htm.

Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany. “Chinese Cops Now Spying on American Soil.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 14 Aug. 2018, www.thedailybeast.com/chinese-police-are-spying- on-uighurson-american-soil?ref=scroll.

Alviani, Cédric. China's Pursuit of a New World Media Order. Reporters Without Borders, 2019.

Diamond, Larry Jay, and Orville Schell. China’s Influence & American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance: Report of the Working Group on Chinese Influence Activities in the United States. Hoover Institution Press, 2019.

Dotson, John. “The United Front Work Department Goes Global: The Worldwide Expansion of the Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China.” Jamestown, 9 May 2019, jamestown.org/program/the-united-front-work-department-goes-global-the-worldwide- expansion-of-the-council-for-the-promotion-of-the-peaceful-reunification-of-china/.

Jinping, Xi. “19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.” 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. 18 Oct. 2017.

“Larry Diamond.” FSI: Stanford, cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/people/larry_diamond.

Nossel, Suzanne. “China Is Fighting the Coronavirus Propaganda War to Win.” Foreign Policy, 20 Mar. 2020, foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/20/china-coronavirus-propaganda-war-journalists- press-freedom/.

“Orville Schell.” WEAI Weatherhead East Asian Institute, weai.columbia.edu/orville-schell/.

Ramzy, Austin. “After U.S.-Based Reporters Exposed Abuses, China Seized Their Relatives.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/world/asia/china-xinjiang-rfa.html?auth=login- email&login=email.

Roth, Kenneth. “World Report 2019: Rights Trends in China.” , 17 Jan. 2019, www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/china-and-tibet.

Yi, Yang. “Overseas Chinese Say Xi's Speech Charts Course for Cross-Strait Relations.” Xinhua Net, Xinhua, 3 Jan. 2019, www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/03/c_137715497.htm.