The report provides an overview of publicly available information about the United States’ policies on foreign missions, designated Chinese entities, and China’s response to these requirements. In addition to its official embassy and consulate missions, China operates a number of other foreign missions, such as state media outlets and united front-linked entities, which support its effort to influence the U.S. public and federal, state, and local leaders. The report includes policy considerations for Congress.
Key Findings Include:
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In 2020, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions designated 17 Chinese entities as foreign missions after it determined each entity qualified as a mission under the Foreign Missions Act (FMA). These new foreign missions designated under the FMA included official Chinese media outlets and entities linked to the united front. Like China’s embassy and consulates in the United States, they provide its government with platforms to influence U.S. policymakers, business leaders, academics, and the public.
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There is a lack of reciprocity in the U.S.-China relationship regarding the treatment of diplomatic personnel. While U.S. diplomats are restricted or supervised in travel, contact, and engagement with Chinese civil society, historically, members of Chinese foreign missions have had far more freedom in the United States.
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There have been no congressional hearings or public forums to specifically discuss the United States’ process for designating foreign missions or the enforcement of related policies. The dearth of publicly available information on designation and enforcement creates several challenges for Congress and the public to understand the full scope of Chinese foreign missions’ activities in the United States. It remains unclear whether all Chinese entities that act like foreign missions are designated as such and how consistently those that are designated comply with the FMA and other requirements.