Top Republicans are sounding the alarm over China's mobilization of its vast propaganda machine, which targets “useful idiots” in America.
They said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is recruiting accomplices in what it claims is an “existential struggle” against the United States.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, told DailyMail.com that President Xi Jinping's “entire mission” is to undermine the U.S. “at any time.”
Hinson is a member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, which last week published a memo outlining how the US has failed to combat infiltration by Beijing's “United Front” program, a political strategy that Xi calls his “magic weapon' mentioned.
The CCP uses the United Front to expand its influence without information appearing to come directly from the Chinese government.
Hinson was referring to a video released Tuesday by Chairman Mike Gallagher highlighting China's successes in its efforts to exert influence over the U.S. through censorship and intimidation.
“Americans must understand that the CCP's United Front work is not just a distant threat 'over there.' It is a threat here at home,” the chairman warns.
Hinson is a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
“They continue their propaganda machine, whether it's through Chinese publications here in the U.S. or on platforms like TikTok, which are consumed by Americans, or just through manipulation of our institutions,” Hinson explained.
In the video, Gallagher refers to the United Front's “magic weapon”: China's global influence campaign and political war strategy.
There are three main tactics the CCP uses in this effort: silencing criticism of China, encouraging propaganda, and manipulation through espionage tactics and other “illegal operations.”
“Perhaps the best summary of the United Front strategy I have heard is simply three words: 'making idiots useful,' which means co-opting an individual or organization to further the party's goals,” Gallagher says in the video obtained by DailyMail. .com.
The Wisconsin Republican is tapping into several United Front networks that are currently active.
The Thousand Talents program is a 'CCP recruitment program' that focuses on foreign scientists.
And the FBI has acknowledged that it “openly encourages” the stealing of trade secrets.
Moreover, the Confucius Institutes on university campuses can be traced back to the work of the United Front.
“Many Chinese student and scholarly associations monitor and report on the dissident activities of Chinese students,” Gallagher warns.
In addition, a '50 Cent army' of trolls has been deployed to 'flood the internet discussion with CCP propaganda on US social media'.
Another strategy called “elite capture” was even implemented during President Biden's trip to San Francisco last month.
U.S. nonprofits sold tickets worth $40,000, giving executives the chance to sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner in California that coincided with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Gallagher wrote to the two groups, the National Committee on US China Relations (NCUSCR) and the US-China Business Council (USCBC), demanding information about the dinner and how the proceeds will be used.
“What United Front Work shows is that the CCP believes we are in an existential battle over what life will be like for the rest of the 21st century,” the chairman continues in the video.
As for solutions, Gallagher says his committee is pushing a new law that would tighten registration requirements for foreign agents.
In addition, Hinson said later this week that the House plans to vote on a bill that would require universities to report any foreign donation of more than $50,000 to the Department of Education.
As for solutions, Gallagher says his committee is pushing a new law that would tighten registration requirements for foreign agents
She said this is critical as the Chinese try to influence the educational research process on college campuses.
“And that's exactly why we need to continue to shine a light on this, expose their malign activities here in the U.S., and present policies that will help us be competitive and counter them,” Hinson told DailyMail.com.
China's investments in its military pose the biggest long-term threat as the country tries to “undermine” the US, she added.
“If we do not limit the CCP's malign influence on American soil, future generations will look back and wonder why we allowed, and even invited, a 'magic weapon' to be used against us,” Gallagher concludes in the video.