Candace Vahlsing, President Biden’s Associate Director for Climate, co-authored reports arguing for more collaboration between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party on climate and energy “in partnership” with Chinese government-backed academics and organizations. 

Vahlsing, who has held the position of Associate Director for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Science at the Office of Management and Budget since January of 2021, is listed as a contributor to a recent research report: “How California and China, Together, Can Accelerate a Global Shift to Zero-emission Vehicles.”

The April 2020 report—written “in partnership” with Chinese Communist Party-run Tsinghua University—begins by calling for closer collaboration between China and California:

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the globe, now is the time for us to reflect not only on our shared vulnerability, but also on what’s possible through collective action. California and China, which have both confronted this virus with great force, are also uniquely positioned to tackle the climate crisis head-on—together.

“So where do we go from here,” the piece inquires before calling for more cooperation: “We start by accelerating our cooperation. This means taking steps to align California and China’s zero-emission vehicle goals, policies, research and investment […] We have no time to waste.”

Among the other contributors to the piece are professors from Tsinghua University, which has launched cyberattacks against the U.S. government, has a “clear connection” to the CCP on issues of technology and national security according to the U.S. State Department, and is Xi Jinping’s alma mater.

One contributing author—Professor Ouyang Minggao—serves as the Director of China’s State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy and has received a host of awards from the Chinese government, including “Beijing Olympic Outstanding Individual.”