“Since Newsom is not a U.S. federal official and simply a state governor, the trip was organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an ‘affiliate’ of Chinese intelligence,” Mr. Schweizer writes.
That means the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. intelligence agencies were not there to protect Mr. Newsom from the prying ears and eyes of China’s spy agencies. Presumably he was smart enough not to say anything Beijing might use against him in the future. But his staff?
A Governor of Respect
“Beijing gave Newsom superlative treatment,” Mr. Schweizer continues. “He was granted a coveted meeting with President Xi in the Great Hall of the People, the first U.S. governor to do so since 2017. In an unusual move, Newsom was allowed to sit side-by-side with the Chinese leader, a sign of respect. When U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken had visited earlier in the year, Blinken sat opposite Chinese officials while Xi was in the center—a position of superiority.”What a humiliation. The U.S. secretary of state is the third-ranked U.S. official, after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The author continues (brackets in original): “This elevation of Newsom caused one Chinese writer to explain that this was a good will gesture by China to the U.S., but it was also recognition of Beijing ‘having a long-term investment in him [Newsom].’
“What transpired during the meeting is not fully known. As the two met, the Chinese media was allowed to enter the Great Hall of the People, but the American media was blocked.”
“The writer says the California governor helped remind Washington that if China is successful, the U.S. will become even more successful. He says Newsom also highlighted that the two countries are not having a zero sum game. ...
“He also discussed Taiwan issues with [Foreign Minister Wang Yi] in a meeting.
“‘I expressed my support for the One-China policy ... as well as our desire not to see independence,’ he said.”
Downplaying Fentanyl Crisis
For most Americans, Beijing’s most direct attack is the fentanyl crisis plaguing our communities, killing more than 100,000 people a year. “Newsom’s office says that he brought up the subject of fentanyl with Xi in the context of ‘China’s role in combating the transnational shipping of precursor chemicals,’ implying the shipments were somehow occurring independent of the Chinese government,” Mr. Schweizer writes.He quoted Mr. Newsom, who said, “These were honest conversations,” but quickly added, “no fingers were being pointed. And the overriding purpose was around a substantive desire to engage a need and desire to reconcile our differences.”
Mr. Schweizer then brings up the major theme of his book: “Based on California’s fentanyl death rate, approximately 116 Californians died of the opioid crisis during his visit to China, the country that played a central role in the production and distribution network of the drug.
“For Newsom, it appears that honestly addressing the fentanyl crisis by dealing with China’s central role in the crisis might disrupt his political and financial security.”
Mr. Schweizer notes California’s centrality as the only state bordering both Mexico and the Pacific Rim. “Drug warfare is real. It is a powerful weapon that has been deployed against the United States. It has caused untold casualties. Politicians find it convenient to focus on the blast caused by the fentanyl missile while ignoring from where the missile was launched—Beijing.”
BYD Mask Flim-Flam
When the COVID-19 crisis hit four years ago, I was press secretary to state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa). A Certified Public Accountant, he previously had been Orange County’s treasurer-tax collector for 12 years and supervisor for eight years, so he had significant experience with government contracts.BYD, Mr. Schweizer writes, had “no experience in producing medical gear. However, among other things, it did build guidance systems for the Chinese military’s missile program. BYD also had a history of hiring lobbyists to secure no-bid contracts—as was this one. When the contract terms were finally made public, it included heavily inflated prices. And when the masks arrived, federal inspectors rejected them for being subpar and unsafe. None of this seemed to have bothered Newsom. When he traveled to China in October 2023, he visited a BYD factory, praising their products.”
Conclusion: Longtime Tight Beijing-Newsom Ties
Briefly, Mr. Newsom’s ties to Communist China extend back to his days as mayor of San Francisco, 2004 to 2011, when he launched ChinaSF in 2008. Current Executive Director Helen Fu Thomas’s website explains, “ChinaSF helps San Francisco companies expand into the China market.”“ChinaSF was highly favorable to the Chinese entities involved: any investment they made in an American company would grant them intellectual property rights in China for the technology developed,” writes Mr. Schweizer. “But many of the Chinese companies and businessmen that were involved in ChinaSF and benefited from the program had ties to Chinese organized crime.”
Mr. Schweizer’s book ought to be essential reading for all Americans. And those considering backing Mr. Newsom for a promotion to the Oval Office need to consider his long and deep ties to communist China.
