China counters US efforts to tighten CCP intervention by strengthening state-local ties.

As America wants to protect itself better than that. Threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Beijing is stepping up efforts to curb Chinese interference by using a fundamental American principle, the separation of state and federal powers.

While the U.S. federal government has taken steps over the years to protect against potential threats from Beijing — such as China’s efforts to limit its ability to invest in U.S. farms. May use Earth for espionage projects. – It has failed to address China’s most used tool: influence.

According to a report titled, “Nearest Enemies: China’s Access to the United StatesAnd released Tuesday by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), China’s local subnational ties to the U.S. are the driving force behind Beijing’s continued influence in various sectors across the country.

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“Chinese sub-national influence in the United States is greater than that achieved by any other external power today. It is achieved through the ‘active measures’ playbook deployed by the last US great power rival, the Soviet Union.” “It also reduces the benefit,” the report’s authors found.

This sphere of influence is achieved by eliminating federal policies and instead focusing on building relationships at the state and local levels, whether through private contracts, state-based programs, or acquisitions and investments. through that create jobs and boost local economies.

“State and local governments are more likely than their federal counterparts,” the authors said, citing a 2019 report by the state-run Xinhua news agency. are more ‘pragmatic’, focused on ‘jobs and economic growth’ rather than security concerns,” the government said despite an ongoing trade war with China a year ago. Relationships Under the then Trump administration.

The Chinese report found that “US local governments actively seek cooperation with China,” and according to the latest findings from FDD, Beijing has this to say when it comes to state leadership on both sides of the aisle. Attitudes haven’t changed.

“There is a symmetry within the division of labor of the US federal system. National authorities bear responsibility for national security and international trade policy. State and local authorities focus on the provision of public goods and economic development,” FDD The report states.

“Consequently, Chinese sub-national influence efforts that disproportionately emphasize economic impact – particularly inward investment at the sub-national level – may bypass security mechanisms at the national level,” the report added. is,” the report added.

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The report points to the relationship that has developed between both Democrats and Republican leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who visited China last year and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. . They reportedly discussed issues ranging from economic development to cultural exchange programmes.

Similarly, in 2018, as the trade war with China was brewing, Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas, said during an event hosted by the National Governors Association, and attended by the China General Chamber of Commerce Foundation, that that the United States is a group committed to promoting -China Business Cooperation – Sub-national cooperation with China is “very important.”

“Obviously, our federal government drives our foreign policy and our trade policy. But the more we can build relationships at the state level, the more successful we will be at the national level,” he added.

But according to the findings of the FDD report, this sentiment is the main problem facing the US today and its inability to effectively protect itself from Chinese interference in areas ranging from trade and investment to technology, the education system, media and research institutions. is

“US Policy Response to China Lacks Coherence. Defense Against China’s weapons of subnational influence The authors wrote that a more integrated approach is needed to address the complex collective action problem posed by China’s cultivation of influence through state, local, and commercial channels in the United States.

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FDD experts report that China sees state and local actors as “valuable and viable targets for influence efforts” that not only help secure investment deals and cultural programs, but also change the national narrative. They are also useful.

FDD Senior Fellow and co-author of the report, Nathan Pukarsk, told Fox News Digital, “The Chinese Communist Party takes a deliberate approach to finding obstacles to U.S. defenses and working to establish a united front against China.” expand the CCP’s influence beyond China’s borders.” “State, local and trade channels provide opportunities for Beijing to maneuver — and through which it can evade constraints imposed by an increasingly hawkish Washington.”

“For the United States to effectively and efficiently respond to the threat to the CCP’s global positioning – in all areas of competitiveness, whether measured in capital, technology or military power,” he added. The presence of the CCP in the United States should be addressed.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Governor Gavin Newsom and former Governor Hutchinson for comment.