A nonprofit organization that is active in American politics and throws around charges of racism against Republican lawmakers is intimately connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a new report by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Committee of 100 claims its mission is to “advance U.S.-China relations.” Just two weeks before last month’s crucial midterm elections, the group issued a statement condemning campaign ads being run by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA). The group claimed that Steel’s ads amounted to “racist attacks” that promoted “anti-Asian hate and violence.”
The Committee of 100—a nonprofit that works to "advance U.S.-China relations"—issued a statement condemning Steel's ads.
The committee usually avoids electoral politics, so its statements sparked attention from the mainstream media.https://t.co/dVwLybUpk9
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) December 5, 2022
Born in South Korea, Steel was first elected in 2020 to represent California’s 48th Congressional District in Orange County. This year, some of her reelection campaign ads criticized her Democratic opponent Jay Chen’s support for the Confucius Classroom program. That program is run by the CCP and provides teachers and educational materials backed by the Chinese regime.
The Committee of 100 jumped into the race to attack Steel, an unusual move for the organization that generally avoids elections to lobby Congress and presidential appointments.
Corporate media outlets used the CCP-inspired attack on Steel to insinuate that the Asian-American community had turned against the congresswoman. The Los Angeles Times and NPR glowingly described the Committee of 100 as a “nonprofit led by prominent Chinese Americans that represents Chinese Americans.”
What was not mentioned was the fact that the Committee of 100’s membership and staff are made up mainly of people with extensive ties to the CCP and state-run Chinese companies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping described the Committee of 100 as a “friendly group” in 2015, as the group is part of the regime’s “United Front” system. That system advances CCP interests internationally by exerting influence on foreign government officials and business leaders.
The report indicates that the Committee of 100 has denied allegations that the CCP controls it. However, the organization’s unwavering support of regime directives has been thoroughly reported. One notable example is the committee’s support of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, an official program used by the CCP to gain influence in foreign nations through infrastructure investments.
Pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper executive Mark Simon told reporters that the “Committee of 100 is a pro-Beijing group, concerned almost exclusively with the interests aligned with those of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Despite the committee’s attacks on Steel, she won reelection last month by five percentage points.
