The group has been identified by the United States as attempting to influence foreign governments.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Vice Chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former Ambassador of the European Union to the U.S. spoke at the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF).
- Former Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the U.S., David O’Sullivan, and Former Deputy Ambassador of Germany to the U.S., Boris Ruge both spoke at the virtual event on Sept. 20.
- The CUSFE is a Chinese Communist Party-backed group that has been identified by the United States federal government as a group seeking to “influence foreign governments to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing.”
- The virtual webinar was focused on helping the “U.S-China relationship and how it informs European politics, trade, and perspectives,” and was reportedly held in collaboration with the Association of Former Members of Congress.
- The event was also moderated by Professor Alejandro Reyes, a former Senior Policy Adviser within the Canadian Foreign Ministry.
- O’Sullivan, who is currently the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs, has previously held a number of substantial positions within the European Union, including Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service (EEAS), as well as the EU’s diplomatic service and joint foreign and defense ministry.
- Ruge is closely connected to the military establishment of the EU and is the Vice Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, the leading gathering place for discussion of global security concerns.
THE EVENT’S PURPOSE:
- CUSEF reportedly works to “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party.”
- After assessing the group, the U.S. State Department has compared CUSEF to the Chinese regime’s “magic weapon” used to advance its preferred policies by infiltrating American politics, media, and academia.
- “The webinar covered the challenges of the U.S.-China relationship. In particular, the speakers provided insights from a European point of view on issues relating to Taiwan, the current war in Ukraine, the changes in European perception of China, possible future EU engagement and partnership with China, and more,” explained a synopsis of the event.
BACKGROUND:
- Entities worldwide, including the United Nations’ former Human Rights chief, have called out China and its ruling party for their abuses of the Uyghur people.
- As American Faith previously reported, 13 minutes before stepping down, Former Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet published the 48-page report calling on countries that are part of the U.N. to stop repatriating the Uyghurs people to China, as the nation is conducting large-scale and unwarranted detentions.
- “Serious human rights violations have been committed in XUAR in the context of the Government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies,” the U.N. office said in the report, referring to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
