This report focuses on attempts by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (S.A.R.) government to build ties with American civil-society actors and local governments, tying these efforts to comprehensive attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.) to influence American politics. 
 

The contents of this report are a summary of findings about efforts by S.A.R. government entities and their cutouts to influence the American public and politics at the subnational level.

They cover the activities of three different types of organizations involved in these efforts: S.A.R. government entities, Hong Kong Associations, and C.C.P.-affiliated organizations from mainland China. The relevant entities and activities form the “S.A.R. Network.”
 

This report expands upon the work in HKDC’s 2023 report, The Counter-Lobby Confidential: How Beltway Insiders Do the Hong Kong Government's Bidding, as well as the documentation outlined in HKDC’s Hong Kong S.A.R. Government Influence Database.

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Key Takeaways

 

• Over the past decade, the S.A.R. government has cultivated U.S. ties at the state and local levels using government organizations and astroturf groups (the “S.A.R. network”) as part of a broader national foreign influence campaign.

• The three Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. have played a central role in the formation of the S.A.R. network, financially supporting astroturf groups and hiring American political consultants to spread propaganda at the local level.

• The S.A.R. network strategically targets media, think tanks, and business communities at the subnational level, where the S.A.R. government’s efforts are less likely to be noticed by China watchers and human rights defenders.

• The S.A.R. network relentlessly pushes pro-C.C.P. propaganda, promoting C.C.P. foreign policy priorities like the Belt & Road Initiative, maligning Hong Kong’s democratic movement, and whitewashing the S.A.R. government’s human rights abuses.

 

Policy Recommendations

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1. For Congress: Revoke the privileges of the H.K.E.T.O.s by passing the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act.

2. For the Administration: The Department of Justice should designate the Hong Kong Associations and similar organizations as foreign agents under FARA. Strengthen capacity in combating foreign influence.

3. For politicians, think tanks, media, and other U.S. organizations: Conduct background research before endorsing, partnering up, or engaging with relevant organizations.