US intensifies scrutiny of China’s bid to hold sway over domestic policy in ‘threat of our lifetime’

State Department report on alleged damage Beijing’s influence operations inflict on America’s reputation overseas is latest cause for Washington alarm

Congress also examining US vulnerability to China in critical minerals as two sides race for hi-tech edge in semiconductors and electric vehicles

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US Republican congressman Rob Wittman of Virginia has called for greater efforts to identify Chinese nationals who come to the US and go after dissidents of Beijing’s government. Photo: AP

Robert Delaney,Amber Wang,Mark MagnierandKhushboo Razdan

Published: 6:20am, 29 Sep 2023Updated: 9:36pm, 29 Sep 2023

Beijing’s efforts to shape policy in the US drew heavier-than-usual scrutiny in Washington this week, with several congressional hearings and think-tank discussions keeping lawmakers busy even as they try to avoid a looming federal government shutdown.

The US State Department’s Global Engagement Centre (GEC) covered much of the same territory, releasing a special report on Thursday focusing on the alleged damage that Chinese influence operations inflict on America’s reputation overseas.

Titled “How the People’s Republic of China seeks to reshape the global information environment”, the 38-page document accused TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance of blocking Beijing’s critics and attacking dissenting views by mobilising automated bot networks.

National security concerns stemming from China’s dominance in the critical minerals sector also came under the spotlight in a congressional hearing the day before.

Alan Kohler, formerly with the FBI’s counter-intelligence division, testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in Washington on Wednesday.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday took up Beijing’s influence operations and alleged transnational repression. The hearing addressed the need to update the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), a federal law from 1938 that monitors overseas lobbyists.

In addition, Washington’s lawmakers were considering new laws targeting anyone involved in efforts to intimidate members of America’s Chinese community or other Beijing critics.