The Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA) group, an organization with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and previously linked to Christine Fang, the alleged Chinese spy who targeted former Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, is reportedly still placing interns in political offices across the United States.
Fang, who worked her way up to president of an APAPA chapter, allegedly used the organization to help place interns in political offices in California, a stated mission of APAPA. Declassified FBI files indicated that Swalwell considered Fang his primary contact with APAPA after meeting her in 2012, before he took office. The same files detailed Fang’s seduction of at least two other Midwestern politicians she met through APAPA, including an Ohio mayor with whom she engaged in a sexual liaison under FBI surveillance.
APAPA's current national leadership stated they have no information that Fang ever held an authorized role within the group. However, leaders of APAPA have faced scrutiny from U.S. watchdog groups regarding their alleged connections to China’s ruling party. Henry Yin, APAPA’s national chair, has claimed to be an adviser to California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna and is associated with numerous groups identified as arms of the CCP. Yin has traveled to China to promote tech investment and spoken on “perspectives as overseas Chinese in the US,” according to state-controlled media. He was also appointed to the California Commission for Economic Development in 2010 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his appointment was renewed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
While Yin’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a senior advisor to Khanna since 2019, Khanna's spokeswoman denied that Yin held a formal role with the congressman, stating he is a respected community member but not a formal staffer. Khanna, who chairs the House’s Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, has recently called for a “bill of rights” for data centers to prevent their proliferation in the U.S., amid intelligence reports of a CCP campaign to hinder U.S. data center development.
The group also has connections to other currently serving politicians. New York Assemblyman William Colton received a “Community Champion Award” from APAPA in 2023, and his former aide, Susan Zhuang, was an APAPA volunteer before being elected to the City Council in 2023. Democratic New York State Senator Samra Brouk and New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim have hosted APAPA interns. In California, Marilyn Cachola Lucey, APAPA’s national Chief Operating Officer, previously served as a policy director for California Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. Another APAPA board member, Andrew Truman Kim, worked as an aide to Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.).
While these individuals associated with APAPA have not been accused of wrongdoing, watchdog groups emphasize the need for heightened vigilance. Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, a nonprofit countering CCP threats, advised public officials to “strongly scrutinize any APAPA efforts that align with CCP objectives, including the CCP influence operations to prevent data center construction across America.”
Fang, who reportedly graduated from Beijing’s University of International Relations, a spy school run by the Ministry of State Security, came to the U.S. around 2011 on a student visa. She came under FBI scrutiny by 2013. According to reports, an attempt by the FBI to recruit her as a double agent failed, and she fled to China in 2015 after realizing she was being surveilled. She now reportedly works for a tech company in China and has claimed that both the FBI and CIA attempted to recruit her, threatening her with ruin if she did not cooperate.