She paid tens of millions of newspapers and former congressional leaders working for her.. This is how China penetrates the American interior

Washington

- The sharp competition between the United States and China did not prevent a number of former congressional leaders from working within major lobby companies to serve Chinese interests, and pressure their former colleagues to adopt legislation not hostile to China, as Al Jazeera Net monitored 26 companies currently serving China, according to the records of the US Department of Justice. .

The White House stresses that Washington's relationship with China is not a relationship of conflict but rather a competition, and that President Joe Biden does not seek to wage a new cold war with any country, but the recent geostrategic developments - especially with regard to the Australian submarine deal and Washington's hosting of a four-way summit that brings together China's neighbors - indicate otherwise.

Toughness in relations with China is one of the few issues that politicians of the two major parties in the United States agree on, especially since President Xi Jinping came to power, as Beijing has been working to develop technologically advanced military capabilities in various fields.

The Chinese threats to American leadership did not prevent a large presence of lobbying companies and public relations companies that serve Chinese interests in Washington and try to influence the decisions of the US government in a manner that takes Chinese interests into account, in various direct and indirect ways.

Congressmen serving China

During their tenure in Congress, a number of former legislators adopted tough positions on China, but they quickly changed their convictions and began working within lobbying and public relations companies to serve Chinese interests after their exit from Congress.

At the head of these lawmakers are former Republican California Representative Ed Royce, Republican Representative David Vetter of Louisiana, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, and Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California.

During their long years of service in both houses of Congress, the four members were known to stand up to China and adopt tough legislation towards it, whether in bilateral issues, or in international issues related to such as the right of navigation in the South China Sea or human rights records.

As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Royce signed off on several bills that hardened China over human rights issues, despite insisting in 2007 that human rights should not impede warming commercial and diplomatic ties with communist Vietnam.

In turn, Representative Vetter adopted a 2015 bill that required the administration of former President Barack Obama to take religious freedom into account when negotiating trade deals with China.

As Senate Majority Leader in 2000, Senator Lott blocked legislation to expand trade relations with China over concerns about its arms sales to Pakistan and other countries.

Today, congressional officials co-represent Chinese companies that the US government accuses of threatening US national security.

Justice Department data shows that 12 former members of Congress worked for Chinese companies or affiliated lobby groups.

Biden said that his country is not engaged in a cold war with China, but the submarine deal with Australia and the summit of China's neighbors indicate otherwise (European News Agency)

Agents in the era of Trump

The number of customers currently registered in China has increased with mounting pressure on Chinese companies in recent years - especially during the rule of former President Donald Trump - due to the focus on the growing Chinese threats, and the Republican and Democratic parties' agreement to take tough positions on China, especially after the outbreak and spread of the Corona pandemic.

Chinese efforts to recruit more former members of Congress did not stop after Joe Biden's arrival in the White House, as there was no sign of any rapid turnaround under the Biden administration.

The phenomenon of the "revolving door" - where former officials work for lobbying companies and put pressure on their former colleagues - has angered anti-China hawks inside and outside Congress.

“The Republican and Democratic parties may have a lot of disagreement these days, but there is one major issue on which the two are aligned, and that is confronting business malpractice and human rights abuses,” said Craig Singleton, a former National Security Council official and now a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. people in China.

"It is disappointing to see well-respected former members of Congress representing companies accused of engaging in human rights and other abuses, yet representing a very small group of politicians willing to condone China's malign behavior."

Senator Barbara Boxer surprised many earlier this year by registering as a foreign agent for the company "Hikvision", which specializes in video surveillance, and is accused in particular of helping the Chinese government implement human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, for $125,000 a month. for the company you work for.

After a strong campaign to condemn the company and expose its records, role and relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, Senator Boxer was forced to abandon the representation of the Chinese company last January.

Chinese lobbies

On the other hand, a year ago, former Attorney General Bill Barr warned many American companies that the Department of Justice would treat them as official Chinese customers under US law if they pressured them to pass legislation and policies that served their commercial interests and favored by China.

"The CCP has long used the mechanism of overt threats of retaliation and market access blocking to exert influence on American companies, but recently the CCP has also intensified its behind-the-scenes efforts to push and force American corporate executives to advance its political goals, efforts that are more harmful because they are hidden," Barr said. largely about public opinion."

Barr singled out technology companies, accused Hollywood of censoring scripts to ensure China was not angered, to ensure access to the huge Chinese box office, and warned against increasing Chinese influence on American universities.

The Chinese government has also spent more than 10 million dollars to convey its point of view to the readers of American newspapers, according to what was revealed by the newly released Ministry of Justice files.

It also bought the China Daily Distribution Corporation, which is the official publisher of the global edition of the Chinese Communist Party's English-language newspaper, China Daily.

The Department of Justice revealed that the Chinese company has paid the Wall Street Journal $5.3 million and The Washington Post $4.6 million since 2016 in “advertising expenses.”

The Chinese company has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars printing for newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution), the Houston Chronicle, and The Boston Globe.