Chen Refuses to Address Why He Supports Beijing Propaganda Effort
It is less than one month until Election Day and Jay Chen still refuses to explain to voters why he supports Chinese Communist Party Confucius Institutes in our schools. The US State Department calls the Institutes, “Beijing’s multifaceted propaganda efforts” and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week said they are “fronts for the Chinese Communist Party to engage in espionage, IP theft, and propaganda.”
“Voters in Southern California deserve an explanation as to why Jay Chen continues supporting this Chinese Communist Party effort to spread their propaganda and infiltrate our educational systems,” said Steel Campaign Spokesperson Lance Trover.
Yesterday, the Steel Campaign highlighted some of the Institute’s messaging.
BACKGROUND
- In March 2021, the U.S. Senate voted UNANIMOUSLY to increase oversight of the Institutes.
- Pro-Democracy Organization, FDD, writes: Confucius Institutes have long been considered a key element in China’s “united front,” a network of groups and key individuals that seek to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
- A bipartisan report from 2019 said that the Institutes are “controlled, funded, and mostly staffed by the Chinese government.”