House Republicans Seek FBI Probe of Biden Appointee with CCP Ties

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Headquarters in Washington on Jan. 2, 2020. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Six House Republicans have asked the FBI to investigate President Joe Biden’s appointee to the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC) Business Advisory Council for alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and potential violations of the Espionage Act.

The lawmakers, led by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas), charged in a Feb. 15 letter (pdf) to FBI Director Christopher Wray that, at the time he was appointed, East West Bank Chairman and CEO Dominic Ng had “existing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ties” and had worked for two Chinese intelligence front groups.

“Between 2013 and 2017, [Ng] served as the executive director of the China Overseas Exchange Association (COEA) which is a front organization for the United Front Work Department (UFWD),” the lawmakers noted. “UFWD is a Chinese intelligence service whose mission is to liaison with foreign political parties, influence operations, and collect intelligence.”

COEA, the congressmen added, later merged with the China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA), of which Ng became executive director in 2019. Allegedly, COFA remained a front organization for UFWD under Ng’s leadership.

According to the legislators, Ng met with UFWD and Chinese government leaders “dozens of times” in both the United States and China while serving in those roles, including at least one meeting with Tung Chee-hwa, an influence operative that the U.S.-China Economic and Security Exchange Commission has linked to UFWD.

“Additionally, APEC is slated to host a summit of world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, in San Francisco this fall, which will expose Mr. Ng and potentially our nation’s secrets to numerous CCP officials and possible intelligence operatives,” they added.

Ng, who currently chairs the APEC Business Advisory Council, was a major donor to Biden’s presidential campaign, donating $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund and $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.

Adding that those donations create an additional political conflict of interest in Ng’s appointment, the Republicans stressed that his position on the council demonstrates “the reach and motives of the CCP” and just how far the Chinese will go to install Chinese operatives in U.S. leadership roles.

For Ng, those roles currently include seats on the governing boards of Mattel, Inc., the University of Southern California, and the Academy of Motion Pictures. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan American think tank.

“The Biden Administration has allowed the CCP to infiltrate the third-party sector and, consequently, political leaders that have existing relationships to these groups and are privy to U.S. intelligence,” the lawmakers noted. “Further encroachments cannot be tolerated, and we request the FBI investigate and provide a report to Congress on the extent of Mr. Ng’s knowledge of sensitive information, as well as any potential violations of the Espionage Act.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the APEC Business Advisory Council, East West Bank, the FBI, and the White House for comment.