A nonprofit organization accused of ties to China’s Communist Party continues placing interns in US political offices, years after it connected an alleged Chinese intelligence operative to a former California congressman. The Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA) group served as the vehicle through which Fang Fang, also known as Christine Fang, gained access to then-emerging politician Eric Swalwell in 2012.
Declassified FBI documents reveal that Swalwell considered Fang his primary contact with APAPA. She eventually rose to chapter president. The same files indicate Fang cultivated relationships with two other American politicians, including an Ohio mayor with whom she allegedly had a ual encounter in a vehicle under FBI surveillance.
What makes this particularly concerning? APAPA’s current national chair, 79-year-old Henry Yin, reportedly maintains extensive connections to United Front groups, which operate as arms of the Chinese Communist Party. Between 2013 and 2023, Yin traveled to China promoting technology investment as head of the Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Delegation, according to party-controlled media reports.
APAPA officials told reporters their current leadership has no information about Fang holding any authorized role within the organization. The group describes its mission as advancing Asian and Pacific Islander communities through civic engagement, though critics argue its activities align suiously with Beijing’s interests in American politics.
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