New York Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Korean-American lawmaker representing Queens, has accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of attempting to interfere in his state assembly seat race.
Kim, who ran in last June’s Democratic primary, said foreign groups with ties to mainland China and the CCP backed his opponent, Yi Andy Chen, to try and influence the election’s outcome.
“There were clear patterns of foreign influence trying to dictate the outcome of the election,” Kim told The New York Post. Kim’s opponent was endorsed by the American Chinese Commerce Association, an organization allegedly linked to the CCP. The association’s chairman, John Chan, is known for his ties to the Chinese government and its consulate in New York.
Kim’s concerns are further supported by the recent arrest of Linda Sun, a former top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, for acting as an unregistered agent for the CCP. Kim said the growing influence of the CCP in U.S. politics is troubling, especially in districts like Flushing, where there is a large Chinese population.
Despite the CCP’s attempts, Kim managed to secure his seat in the primary, but he remains wary of the future. He stressed that most of the Chinese community is anti-communist, yet there are rising efforts from CCP-linked groups to manipulate American elections.
