Bank of America’s Funding of CCP-Linked United Front Proxies Poses a National Security Concern

Bank of America has publicly announced grants and institutional partnerships with several nonprofit organizations under the guise of “supporting Asian American communities.” While this may appear philanthropic on the surface, closer scrutiny reveals that the core beneficiaries—especially Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA)—have extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front system, raising serious concerns about foreign influence and corporate complicity.

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🔍 Key Points of Concern

1️⃣ Funding a Known United Front Proxy: Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA

Bank of America’s grant supports five AAAJ branches, including the highly controversial AAAJ–Los Angeles, headed by Connie Chung Joe. This organization has a documented pattern of:

• Echoing CCP-aligned narratives by conflating criticism of the Chinese government with anti-Asian hate;

• Defending individuals under federal investigation for espionage or IP theft, under the misleading framework of “racial profiling”;

• Collaborating with CCP-affiliated groups that are part of the broader United Front system, including U.S.-based Chinese diaspora groups known for promoting Beijing’s political goals.

📌 Example: AAAJ-LA has co-hosted events with front groups known to be aligned with the CCP, using “anti-Asian hate” as a shield to suppress legitimate discourse on CCP espionage, censorship, and human rights abuses.

2️⃣ Connie Chung Joe Added to Bank of America’s National Advisory Body

Bank of America not only funds this organization but also appointed its CEO, Connie Chung Joe, to its National Community Advisory Council (NCAC)—an entity that helps shape corporate policy and community strategy.

• This move effectively gives a United Front-linked figure institutional access and influence inside one of the largest financial institutions in the United States.

• This risks mainstreaming CCP-aligned political agendas within U.S. corporate policy under the banner of “racial equity.”

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA), formerly known as the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, is a California-based nonprofit under the national AAAJ network that has publicly opposed the U.S. DOJ’s China Initiative, downplayed CCP-linked espionage cases as racial profiling, and co-hosted events with organizations tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department; its CEO, Connie Chung Joe, a Columbia- and Stanford-educated attorney, was appointed to Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council, giving her institutional influence despite AAAJ-LA’s consistent alignment with CCP propaganda tactics such as equating criticism of the Chinese regime with anti-Asian racism, deflecting scrutiny from CCP human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and advocating against transparency measures targeting CCP-linked academic and political influence in the U.S..

3️⃣ Internal Funding Mechanisms to Multiply CCP-Linked Influence

Bank of America is also:

• Tripling employee donations to AAAJ and other selected nonprofits for 90 days;

• Lowering the donation matching threshold to $1, encouraging a flood of micro-donations;

• Embedding United Front-aligned narratives within employee engagement and corporate social responsibility channels.

This essentially builds a self-reinforcing pipeline of funds and legitimacy for groups with foreign authoritarian ties—funded not only by the corporation but also by unwitting employees.

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🛑 Why This Is Dangerous

Bank of America is financing organizations that:

• Serve as soft-power tools for the Chinese Communist Party, via the United Front Work Department’s overseas strategy;

• Contribute to policy and public messaging that weakens U.S. counterintelligence and community vigilance against foreign threats;

• Undermine authentic Asian-American civil society by crowding out voices critical of Beijing.

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✅ What Should Be Done

1. Immediate investigation into AAAJ and its affiliates under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA);

2. Demand that Bank of America disclose all foreign affiliations or funding ties of organizations it supports;

3. Require corporate accountability standards to ensure no funds are diverted to organizations linked to authoritarian regimes;

4. Educate the public and lawmakers on how “anti-racism” fronts are exploited to push foreign political narratives.