Exposing foreign influence operations

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a multi-pronged strategy to influence policy and opinion in the United States. It has spent lavishly to buy influence in universities. It also sponsors other kinds of educational and cultural programming, all designed to manipulate what Americans know about China. Meanwhile, the CCP has been caught spying on and bullying Chinese dissidents. And it lobbies state governments with little to no transparency.

In Washington, DC, anyone representing a foreign government is required to register as a foreign agent. Most states currently have no such requirements. This needs to change—states should require disclosure of foreign agents who act to advance the interests of foreign adversaries.

Likewise, states can require transparency for all relationships between educational institutions and foreign adversaries. If a CCP-connected entity is sponsoring a language program at the local elementary school or a cultural exchange at the university, at least we should know who’s behind it. And states should ensure that their universities are careful to guard America’s latest research and technology.