Local Asian-American community leaders from throughout CA-45 today are raising questions about Jay Chen’s judgment and asking for explanation for his unwavering support for Chinese Communist Party-funded Confucius Institutes.
Chen is attempting to deflect and refuses to explain why he still supports the programs the U.S. State Department has labeled Beijing’s propaganda effort.
Local Asian-American community leaders are deeply concerned:
“This is about judgment, and Jay Chen’s continued support of these Institutes that members of both political parties agree is a Beijing-funded propaganda effort calls his judgment into question,” said Peter Chen of Cerritos.
“Jay should know better – this is not simply some cultural program. At a minimum he should explain to voters why he steadfastly backs this CCP-funded effort,” said Hằng Kim Đặng of Fountain Valley.
“What’s most troubling is that rather than denouncing something everyone knows is China’s effort to infiltrate America’s education system, Jay Chen continues standing by them,” said James Cho of Fullerton.
Jay Chen is literally one of very few in America who still support the Confucius Institutes:
- 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.