China–United States Exchange Foundation

The China–United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) is a Hong Kong-based nonprofit organization whose stated aim is to encourage dialogue and exchanges between the people of the United States and China. CUSEF was founded in 2008 by Tung Chee-hwa, a billionaire, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and vice chair of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who remains the chairman of the foundation.[1] CUSEF's governing board has included members such as Ronnie Chan, Elsie Leung, and Victor Fung.[2]

China–United States Exchange Foundation
AbbreviationCUSEF
FormationOctober 2007 (2007-10)
FounderTung Chee-hwa
Founded atHong Kong
TypeNonprofit organization
Registration no.1180245
Websitewww.cusef.org.hk

CUSEF donates to universities and think tanks in the U.S. while also sponsoring trips for journalists, students, and former U.S. officials and politicians to China to speak with officials.[3] Critics state that CUSEF is a central part of the Chinese Communist Party's united front strategy of influence in the U.S.[1][4][5]

History

According to Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, CUSEF is classified as a "foreign principal" which has hired lobbying and public relations firms since 2009 such as Brown Lloyd James, Fontheim International, Covington & Burling, Capitol Counsel LLC, Podesta Group, and Wilson Global Communications to craft and promote pro-Beijing messages.[6][7]

Sanya Initiative

Since 2008, CUSEF has partnered with the China Association for International Friendly Contact and the EastWest Institute to organize forums, termed the U.S.-China Sanya Initiative, between retired People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers and retired U.S. military personnel.[8][9][10] Past forums were reported to have attempted to influence retired U.S. military officers to lobby against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and to delay a Pentagon report on PLA capabilities.[11][12]

University funding

CUSEF funds the Pacific Community Initiative at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.[13]

In 2018, the University of Texas at Austin refused a donation from CUSEF after a letter by Senator Ted Cruz raised concerns about the foundation's reported links to the Chinese Communist Party.[2][14][15]

References
  1. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (November 28, 2017). "This Beijing-Linked Billionaire Is Funding Policy Research at Washington's Most Influential Institutions: The Chinese Communist Party is quietly reshaping public opinion and policy abroad". Foreign Policy. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  2. Lam, Jeffie; Chung, Kimmy (January 15, 2018). "University of Texas at Austin rejects funding from Hong Kong-based foundation, citing its links to Communist Party". South China Morning Post. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  3. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (June 30, 2020). "China's influence operations are getting harder to hide". Axios. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  4. Cole, J. Michael; Hsu, Szu-Chien (2020-07-30). Insidious Power: How China Undermines Global Democracy. Eastbridge Books. pp. 29–37, 56–57. ISBN 978-1-78869-214-4.
  5. Hamilton, Clive; Ohlberg, Mareike (2020). Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party Is Reshaping the World. New York: Oneworld Publications. pp. 210–212. ISBN 978-1-78607-784-4. OCLC 1150166864.
  6. Dotson, John (September 16, 2020). "The China-U.S. Exchange Foundation and United Front "Lobbying Laundering" in American Politics". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  7. Lim, Louisa; Bergin, Julia (2018-12-07). "Inside China's audacious global propaganda campaign". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  8. "Sanya Initiative". China-United States Exchange Foundation. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  9. Cavanaugh, Joshua (June 3, 2020). "U.S.-China Sanya Initiative Dialogue: Report from the 11th Meeting". EastWest Institute. Archived from the original on 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  10. Wortzel, Larry M. (March 1, 2014). "The Chinese People's Liberation Army and Information Warfare". Strategic Studies Institute: 33–34. JSTOR resrep11757. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. Kan, Shirley A. (July 25, 2013). "U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. Garnaut, John (2013-05-24). "China gets into the business of making friends". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  13. "Pacific Community Initiative | Johns Hopkins SAIS". Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  14. Redden, Elizabeth (January 16, 2018). "Thanks, but No, Thanks". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  15. Rogin, Josh (January 15, 2018). "University rejects Chinese Communist Party-linked influence efforts on campus". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
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