(Chen Xu, Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee and Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (right), CAECA President Li Meng (left))
Introduction
In the wake of growing bipartisan concern about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) subversive operations in the United States, a closer examination of lesser-known but well-connected figures in local American elections is warranted. Among them stands Lily Tang Williams, with another name Tang Baihe (formerly known as Tang Rong), a Colorado-based political aspirant whose candidacy raises significant national security questions. The scope of this article focuses on her associations with Chinese state-linked actors like Zhao Yukong, Zhou Quan of IDG Capital, and Lin Jing of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) Alumni Association in Chicago.
Section I: From Social Work to Political Platform — Who Is Tang Baihe?
While Tang claims to have studied social work in the United States, available records indicate her earlier political grooming in Shanghai and Hong Kong under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) oversight. Her 1990s return to China to retrieve her mother and her stint in Hong Kong following the 1997 handover suggest more than mere familial obligations; they mirror a common trajectory of Party-affiliated individuals consolidating overseas positioning. In 2000, she founded ACM International, which—despite its seemingly benign mission—facilitated interactions between U.S. legal professionals and CCP-linked lawyers from China's political-legal apparatus. The organization operated until 2018.
In 2023, Tang re-emerged in the political sphere, appearing publicly with Zhao Yukong, a Florida State House candidate with known ties to China’s strategic sectors through Siemens. By 2024, she received campaign contributions from both Zhao and Zhou Quan, a venture capitalist whose fund IDG Capital was sanctioned by U.S. authorities for serving Chinese national security interests.
Section II: Who Is Supporting Tang Baihe, and Why?
Tang Baihe’s financial backers are deeply embedded in the CCP’s united front and tech-military fusion strategy:
Zhao Yukong: A Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) alumnus who moved to the U.S. under State Council Document 1984-185, requiring Communist Party vetting. Zhao worked at Siemens from 1996 to 2018, during which Siemens China supplied key components to nuclear and aerospace programs linked to the PLA.
Who is Zhao Yukong (Yukong Mike Zhao)?
·
Zhao Yukong(a/k/a 赵宇空, Yukong Mike Zhao, or any other alias) was admitted to the Department of Modern Physics of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) from No. 16 Middle School in Kunming, Yunnan in 1980. After graduation (estimated to be 1984, 1992-8=1984, 1980+4=1984), he worked at the Institute of Science and Technology Policy and…
Zhou Quan: A founder of the USTC New Ventures Foundation and major IDG Capital executive. IDG's partnerships span state defense industries and AI surveillance entities.
This funding triad—politics, capital, and alumni networks—mirrors Beijing’s hybrid warfare doctrine, using civilian channels to project influence under the radar of traditional counterintelligence systems.
Section III: The Real Objective — Compromised Contests, Not Victory
One of the most concerning patterns in Tang Baihe’s campaign is its apparent ineffectiveness and ideological silence. Despite personal loss—her mother reportedly died during the COVID-19 pandemic—Tang has made no criticism of the CCP’s role in the global health catastrophe. Instead, her platform sidesteps issues related to information freedom (like China’s censorship of X, YouTube, ChatGPT), and instead promotes vague community themes.
This deliberate vagueness may not be incompetence but calculated strategic withdrawal. Her opponent? The wife of U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. A weak, non-confrontational Democratic challenger benefits CCP interests, creating a corridor of influence or, at minimum, removing electoral pressure from a key White House figure.
Section IV: Subnational Nodes of Influence — Chicago, Florida, and Beyond
The geographic architecture of this network is not coincidental:
Florida: Home base of Zhao Yukong, where he courted support from the CAECA (Chinese American Economic and Cultural Association), which has directly met with CCP’s United Front leaders like Chen Xu in 2024.
From Taipei to Beijing: The Shadow Politics Behind Wei Gaorong and CAECA
·
（Chen Xu, Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee(right), CAECA Founding Chairman Wei Gaorong (left)）
Colorado: Tang’s formal political territory, where funding and messaging have been controlled by a donor pool with vested interests in maintaining CCP’s access and image in American political discourse.
Conclusion: Influence Without Victory Is Still Influence
As the U.S. confronts hostile foreign powers' hybrid operations, it must not overlook the subtle machinery of subversion disguised in community service and alumni loyalty. Tang Baihe may not win office, but her campaign’s structure, connections, and financial origins already point to a broader design: disrupting electoral integrity, shielding CCP interests, and seeding future influence operations.
Policymakers and watchdogs must treat local races as national security fronts. The next Trojan horse may not wear a red flag—it may wear a name badge at a suburban fundraiser.
No comments:
Post a Comment