Category: Politics

❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A Democrat candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California accepted over $100,000 from individuals and organizations connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

📺 DETAIL: According to a recent investigation, California Treasurer Fiona Ma received over $100,000 in campaign contributions tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In September 2022, Ma received $2,500 from Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, who resigned this month after admitting to being a foreign agent for China. The same year, Ma received $2,750 from the U.S.-Zhejiang General Chamber of Commerce (USZJGCC) and $1,000 from businessman Xuan Guojun. Both are connected to the United Front Work Department (UFWD), an organ of the CCP’s Central Committee known for conducting intelligence and influence operations in foreign countries. Furthermore, since 2004, Ma has received $5,750 from Florence Fang, an overseas advisor to the CCP-backed All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), and since 2018, Ma has received a total of $12,500 from Simon Pang, co-founder of Royal Business Bank, the executives of which also have connections to the UFWD. From 2024 onward, Ma received $8,805 in total from Tina Yao, who serves as an executive director at the China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA), an organization operating under the UFWD. During her race for Lieutenant Governor, Ma received $13,600 from Eric Zhang & Associates LLP, a tax firm that, according to a 2023 probe conducted by the U.S. House Select Committee, employs accountants working with the UFWD. Ma has also received $12,000 from Oriza Ventures, the North American branch of Oriza Holdings, which is owned and controlled by the Suzhou Industrial Park, a Chinese municipal government entity. These are just some of the donations that Ma has taken from CCP-linked sources. Ma is associated with Pegasus California School, founded by her campaign finance chair. The school is controversial due to allegations of unlawfully issuing diplomas to Chinese nationals.

💬 KEY QUOTE: “When a politician accepts an award, a donation, or a speaking platform connected to organizations operating under the umbrella of these friendship and trade groups, a Chinese intelligence officer is, in my assessment, very likely involved in an influence operation designed to subvert American democracy.” – Investigative journalist Sam Cooper

🎯 IMPACT: These revelations have raised alarms about foreign influence in U.S. state politics, especially since Ma is currently a leading candidate in California’s 2026 Lieutenant Governor race. This is not the first time a California Democrat has been found to have links to the CCP. Earlier this month, authorities uncovered that Eileen Wang, former Mayor of Arcadia, California, and an aforementioned donor to Ma, worked with Chinese officials between 2020 and 2022 to spread pro-Beijing propaganda. The content spread by Wang included denial of human rights violations in China. She ultimately agreed to plead guilty to one felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.