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China channeled donations to US politicians(Clinton) in 1996
By Maxim Kniazkov

https://fas.org/sgp/news/2001/08/afp081101.html

The Chinese government launched a covert operation in 1996 in a bid to influence the US political process and gain wide access to officeholders through political donations, a US Senate panel has concluded.

The conclusion is contained in a report quietly released by the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. It went largely unnoticed until Friday, when the Federation of American Scientists publicized it on its website.

The Senate probe was prompted by allegations that China had tried to funnel 300,000 dollars into the 1996 reelection campaign of former president Bill Clinton through Democratic Party fundraiser Johnny Chung.

The goal of the Senate investigation was to determine whether Chung had acted as part of a concerted effort by Beijing’s intelligence services to buy favors with US politicians.

“The answer to that question, the committee concluded, was: Yes,” the report stated flatly.

According to the document, Chinese officials decided to find a way to rebuild their relations with US politicians in 1995, when the Clinton administration granted an entry visa to then Taiwanese president Lee Tung-hui.

The visit irked Beijing so much that Chinese officials produced what US investigators refer to as the “China Plan,” a covert operation designed “to influence the US political process favorably.”

“The existence of this plan is substantiated by the body of evidence ... including intelligence reports,” the committee said.

China views Taiwan as a renegade island and vehemently protests even private trips by Taiwanese officials to the United States.

The plan put together by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) “applied to various political office holders or candidates at the local, state, and federal level,” according to the report.

“There is intelligence information indicating PRC officials provided funds to US political campaigns,” said the document.

Note: Remember Charlie Trie and the 30 Chinese nationals that raised big $$$ for Bill Clinton and were never prosecuted as they fled to China?