The alleged Chinese language spy who seduced ex-Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell met him via a nonprofit accused of Chinese language Communist Get together ties — which continues to be putting interns with politicians throughout the US.
Fang “Christine” Fang labored her manner as much as president of a chapter of The Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA) group, which she used to assist get interns into different political workplaces in California, one of many group’s acknowledged missions.
Now-disgraced Swalwell instructed the FBI he thought-about glamorous graduate scholar Fang, whom he first met in 2012 earlier than he took workplace, as his primary level of contact with APAPA, based on declassified FBI recordsdata.
The identical recordsdata detailed how Fang had additionally seduced two different politicians she had met via the APAPA community, each within the Midwest. One was an Ohio mayor, whom she had a sexual liaison with inside a automotive which was below digital FBI surveillance, though the mayor’s id has by no means been revealed.
In a press release to The Publish, APAPA mentioned their “present nationwide management has no info” Fang ever held a certified function within the group.
The leaders of APAPA have been scrutinized by US watchdog teams over their obvious ties to China’s ruling get together.
Henry Yin, 79, is APAPA’s nationwide chair and has claimed to be an adviser to California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna.
Yin, a Chinese language-American, is related to quite a few United Entrance teams, that are arms of the CCP. Between 2013 and 2023, Yin traveled to China to advertise tech funding because the “head of the Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Delegation,” the place he gave speeches on “views as abroad Chinese language within the US,” based on the party-controlled Sichuan Day by day Information.
Yin can be named in stories by the CCP-controlled Sichuan Abroad Chinese language Affairs Workplace, which seek advice from him by his Chinese language title as an “abroad Chinese language chief in California and Silicon Valley.” A 2013 report from the ministry additionally mentions an schooling basis scholarship within the Yin household’s hometown in Sichuan province, which the ministry supported.
The Yin household can be credited as investing in Renshou County’s “growth of science and expertise industries,” and attracting funding from the US.
“APAPA is a locus of pro-CCP exercise. Its mission is explicitly political,” claimed Jackie Deal, a senior fellow on the Overseas Coverage Analysis Institute in Philadelphia. APAPA says its mission is to advance Asian and Pacific Islander communities “via elevated management and civic engagement.”
Yin made inroads in US politics within the early aughts and was appointed to the California Fee for Financial Growth in 2010 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which was renewed 4 years later by the following governor, Jerry Brown.
“With my many social networking assets in each the US and China and plenty of, years expertise in authorities, enterprise and social communities, I received’t hesitate if the [US] Federal Authorities chooses to make use of me for one thing sooner or later,” Yin instructed the China Day by day newspaper at the moment.
Yin didn’t reply to requests for touch upon this story from The Publish, neither is he accused of any wrongdoing.
Yin has been a senior adviser to Khanna since 2019, based on his LinkedIn web page. That very same yr, Khanna posted to X: “Henry will function my Senior Advisor on Overseas Commerce and Financial Growth.” alongside a photograph of him, Yin and different Chinese language-American group members.
However Khanna’s spokeswoman denied the connection to Yin to The Publish final week, saying: “Henry lives in Fremont and is a revered group member, however has by no means held a proper function with the Congressman.”
Khanna is the rating member on the Home’s Choose Committee on Strategic Competitors between the USA and the Chinese language Communist Get together — which was set as much as examine CCP affect on the US.
He just lately requested for a knowledge middle “invoice of rights” to protect towards their proliferation within the US — at a time when current intelligence stories have indicated the CCP is conducting a coordinated marketing campaign to stall the event of US AI knowledge facilities.
APAPA mentioned it has “not taken a place” on the problem of information facilities, however added: “Private views of people related to APAPA don’t characterize an organizational place.”
The group additionally has hyperlinks to different presently serving politicians.
In Brooklyn, Assemblyman William Colton took dwelling a “Neighborhood Champion Award” from APAPA on the group’s 2023 gala. Colton’s former longtime aide, Susan Zhuang, was a volunteer and member of APAPA.
Zhuang was elected to Metropolis Council in 2023, and was arrested for biting a cop throughout a homeless protest in 2024. The fees had been later dismissed after she accomplished a restorative justice program.
Democratic New York State Senator Samra Brouk has hosted APAPA interns in her workplace, based on APAPA’s web site, as has Democratic New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim.
In California, Marilyn Cachola Lucey, APAPA’s nationwide Chief Working Officer is a former coverage director for California Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan.
One other APAPA board member, Andrew Truman Kim, labored as an aide to Rep John Garamendi (D-Calif.)
None of these aides have been suspected of wrongdoing or tied to China or espionage, however watchdogs warn at a time of heightened safety reminiscent of now, officers should be on excessive alert.
“Public officers ought to strongly scrutinize any APAPA efforts that align with CCP targets, together with the CCP affect operations to stop knowledge middle development throughout America,” mentioned Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, a nonprofit countering CCP threats.
Khanna’s workplace mentioned of Yin: “The Congressman doesn’t know Henry’s views on AI knowledge facilities and has by no means mentioned the problem with him.”
The employment historical past or private views of people related to APAPA don’t characterize an organizational place.
In the meantime, Fang graduated from Beijing’s College of Worldwide Relations, a spy college run by the Ministry of State Safety, based on Chinese language media stories. She labored as a flight attendant earlier than coming to the US round 2011 on a scholar visa. She was below FBI scrutiny two years later, based on the declassified papers.
The company even tried to recruit her as a double agent, however that try failed and as soon as she realized she was being surveilled, she fled to China in 2015, based on stories.
She now works for a tech firm in her dwelling nation. She claimed to Chinese language media that each the FBI and CIA had tried to recruit her, providing her US citizenship and $1 million to activate her dwelling nation or danger “wreck” at their arms, inflicting her to flee.
