'I love you': Longtime Harris ally has been friends with CCP group's top exec for over a decade

FIRST ON FOX: A decades-long friend and mentee of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is moving for Congress successful California, has been friends pinch a apical executive of a CCP beforehand group for complete a decade, a Fox News Digital reappraisal found.

In early 2022, a twelvemonth earlier James Chau became nan president of nan China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), he wrote connected Twitter, "Belated champion wishes to my friend and sister [Lateefah Simon] arsenic she builds connected her years is [sic] work [Akonadi Foundation] to lead Meadow Fund."

"These are analyzable times — yet besides times successful which accomplishment and compassion count moreover more," he continued. "Looking guardant to seeing nan heavy effect of your work."

Simon, who is presently moving for Rep. Barbara Lee’s House spot and was a cardinal speaker astatine nan 2024 DNC normal connected behalf of Harris, responded, "I emotion you James. Hong Kong this summer!"

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CONSULTANT PAID LAVISHLY TO TARGET HBCUS ON BEHALF OF A CCP GROUP

Lateefah Simon (Center), a longtime friend and mentee of Vice President Kamala Harris (Right), has been friends pinch James Chau (Left), nan president of a CCP group, for complete a decade. (Fox News)

"You person nan freehold connected my heart," he responded.

In different societal media post, Chau posted a image of what appears to beryllium an creation grounds of a character pinch dozens of leaves and a caption that reads, "What are you THANKFUL for?" Chau said nan character is "not ample enough" and tagged Simon, prompting her to respond pinch a reddish bosom emoji.

The 2 Twitter exchanges, on pinch respective different societal media posts from Chau, came astatine a clip erstwhile Chau was already actively moving for CUSEF. Chau "joined CUSEF successful 2018" and was "working pinch its laminitis The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa" earlier he became nan group’s president successful 2023, according to his CUSEF bio.

Fox News Digital has extensively reported connected Tung Chee-hwa, who served arsenic a vice president of nan Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a cardinal portion of nan CCP’s agreed beforehand system, which operates to beforehand nan CCP's interests astatine location and abroad.

UNEARTHED REPORT REVEALS POWERFUL HARRIS ALLY 'WILLING TO SHARE' RESOURCES FROM BLACK BUSINESSES WITH CCP

One study specifications really Julia Wilson, a Black nationalist relations consultant, was paid complete $1 cardinal by Chee-hwa's CUSEF to thief nan Chinese authorities study astir Black Americans and summation power pinch Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Black leaders. 

"In 2009, nan erstwhile main executive of Hong Kong [Tung Chee-hwa] visited maine successful my agency pinch his unit from nan China-United States Exchange Foundation, and they wanted to cognize really we sewage a Black president," Wilson, whose agency is crossed nan thoroughfare from nan White House, told assemblage students during a 2017 presentation. "They were saying, 'We don't cognize thing astir Black people. So tin you constitute america a achromatic insubstantial and stock it pinch us? How did Black group get capable powerfulness to ballot a Black man into office?' So they really needed an overview of our history. Who are we? Who are African Americans?"

Tung Chee-hwa is nan vice president of nan 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). (YouTube/Screenshot)

CUSEF's astir caller yearly report, which was published successful July, reveals really nan "independent, non-profit and non-governmental foundation" is heavy influenced by nan CCP, ranging from advisers and partners to donors. One of nan apical partners of CUSEF is nan People's Association for Friendship pinch Foreign Countries, which was antecedently branded arsenic a "Beijing-based statement tasked pinch co-opting subnational governments" and seeking to "directly and malignly power authorities and section leaders to beforehand nan PRC’s world agenda," according to a 2022 study from nan Biden administration’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Another partner connected CUSEF's yearly study is nan China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an instrumental portion of nan CCP's servants of nan state that regularly coordinates pinch apical CCP branches and leaders, according to its website. Other partners see apical Chinese and American universities for illustration Princeton, Georgetown, Harvard and Columbia. Sidwell Friends School, nan elite boarding schoolhouse wherever erstwhile President Obama's daughters and President Biden's grandchildren attended, was besides connected nan list.

FORMER AIDE TO NEW YORK GOV. HOCHUL, WHO IS ACCUSED OF BEING CHINESE SPY, WENT ON A TOUR OF THE WHITE HOUSE

Several of CUSEF's donors, which see Chinese billionaires, besides person CCP ties. Wang Jianlin, nan billionaire president of nan Wanda Group, is simply a CCP member, and served successful nan 17th National Congress of nan Communist Party of China. He is besides a longtime personnel of nan CPPCC. Bernard Chan, different philanthropist listed successful CUSEF's yearly report, appears to beryllium nan aforesaid Bernard Chan who served arsenic nan Hong Kong Deputy to nan National People’s Congress of nan People’s Republic of China, nan highest organ of authorities powerfulness successful nan CCP, for 15 years.

Multiple members of CUSEF's governing committee besides person CCP ties, including Peter Woo, who is presently a personnel of nan Standing Committee of nan 11th CPPCC. Liu Changle, nan laminitis of nan Chinese state-owned Phoenix Satellite Television, besides has respective CCP ties, according to CUSEF's website.

Chau, who was antecedently an anchor for China's state-owned China Central Television (CCTV), has posted astir Tung respective times connected his X relationship and has interviewed him aggregate times. In 2017, while serving arsenic a contributor for China's state-owned CGTN, Chau sat down for an question and reply pinch Tung and discussed U.S.-China relations. A twelvemonth later, he started moving pinch Tung astatine CUSEF.

BART Board President Lateefah Simon speaks during a property convention astir nan BART ambassadors connected Monday, February 10, 2020 successful Oakland, Calif.  (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Earlier this summertime astatine nan DNC, Simon reflected connected her longtime relationship pinch Harris, including her acquisition moving alongside her successful nan early 2000s.

"When she sees you, she genuinely sees you," Simon said successful August astatine nan 2024 DNC. "She is nan champion among us. After moving pinch Kamala Harris time successful and time retired for 5 years to create programs that supported young group to get retired of nan criminal justness strategy erstwhile and for each pinch bully jobs, pinch opportunity, she wanted to get to nan guidelines origin of a surgery criminal justness system."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Chau and Simon met successful San Francisco successful 2008 while moving to combat HIV and person been friends complete nan years, including connecting complete her hubby and Chau's begetter some passing distant weeks apart, according to nan opening conception of a 2020 question and reply betwixt them, which was portion of CUSEF's "The China Current" integer platform. At nan extremity of nan interview, which revolved astir nan pandemic and nan "inequities successful a healthcare system" for group of color, Simon said, "I emotion you dearly, Mr. James. Let's talk more."

Months later, Chau called Simon "brilliant" successful a Twitter post, saying he was "watching this important chat connected nan history of achromatic organising [sic] successful Oakland—one of nan centers of world civilian rights."

In 2019, CUSEF published a post connected their website, highlighting really they person engaged pinch Black Americans "in practice pinch nan Congressional Black Caucus and different civilian nine organizations focusing connected nan [B]lack organization successful nan U.S."

Fox News Digital reached retired to CUSEF, nan Simon run and nan Harris campaign, but did not person immoderate responses.