Since Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) launched his first gubernatorial bid in 2018, individuals tied to Chinese Communist Party influence operations and employed by Beijing-linked companies have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign accounts of California Democrats, including to Newsom and his key allies, a Washington Examiner review of federal, state, and municipal records has found.
Some have characterized Newsom’s relationship with China as prioritizing increased economic cooperation and diplomatic overtures over confrontation. The governor largely avoids direct criticism of the Chinese government and, as a consequence, draws criticism for a too-cozy relationship with China.
A large portion of the China-linked cash that flowed into California under Newsom came from Dominic Ng and Simon Pang, a pair of Southern California bankers reportedly linked to the United Front Work Department, an international network of CCP loyalists that exerts influence and conducts operations on behalf of the Chinese government.
The duo of financial executives has, since 2018, given roughly $400,000 to federal committees controlled by California Democrats, roughly $40,000 to Los Angeles politicians, and approximately $320,000 to state-level Democratic campaigns during that same period. Among the state contributions was $18,000 set aside for Rob Bonta, Newsom’s attorney general, $10,600 for his lieutenant governor, $5,000 for his treasurer, and $42,500 for the governor himself.
East West Bank, the financial institution that Ng leads, has acknowledged that the banker once held a leadership role in the China Overseas Exchange Association, a group Congress’s U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission deemed to be an arm of the UFWD.
A Daily Caller News Foundation report claimed that internal documents identified Ng as the organization’s “executive director,” whereas a bank spokeswoman previously told the Washington Examiner that “standing council member” was a more accurate translation of his role, downplaying his involvement.
The Daily Caller News Foundation also reported that Ng had met with several alleged UFWD operatives, including Chinese government officials. East West Bank denies that Ng knowingly associated with UFWD representatives.
Pang, for his part, served as the “Southern California coordinator” for the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, which the State Department deemed a UFWD affiliate in 2020. The U.S.-Sino Friendship Association, a nonprofit organization headed by Pang, has led at least nine delegations of U.S. lawmakers to China to meet with CPAFFC officials, according to Chinese government announcements.
The State Department has claimed that the Chinese government tasks CPAFFC with “co-opting subnational governments.”
As money from Pang and others has boosted Californian Democrats, Newsom has taken criticism from across the political spectrum over his hesitance to critique China’s human rights violations.
The governor admitted, for instance, that he did not confront Chinese President Xi Jinping on his repression of the Uyghur people and pro-democracy advocates during a weeklong trip he took to China in October 2023.
Democratic and Republican administrations have both categorized China’s treatment of Uyghurs as a genocide. Rather than criticize China, Newsom highlighted his concern for climate change during his visit and expressed a greater desire for cooperation between Sacramento and Beijing.
A coalition of 60 human rights groups, many of which are typically left-of-center, issued a joint statement condemning the governor for his decision to “explicitly turn away from engaging on critical human rights issues.”
A group of 11 Californian Republicans in Congress, led by Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), hit Newsom along similar lines, accusing the governor of turning a “blind eye” to the CCP’s genocide, authoritarianism, and role in the fentanyl crisis. The lawmakers called the trip a “disservice and a slap on the face” and urged Newsom to cancel it. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called on Newsom to “speak very clearly against the repression of the Hong Kong people,” lamenting that failure to do so would make “Chinese repression” appear “accepted” on the global stage.
Later in 2023, Newsom elicited further criticism by hosting Xi in San Francisco for that year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Newsom admitted that San Francisco timed a massive cleanup effort, clearing out masses of homeless encampments and garbage, to coincide with the Chinese president’s arrival. Conservative commentators attacked Newsom for seemingly prioritizing impressing Chinese dignitaries over the well-being of his constituents.
“Why will they clean up for China but not Californians?” the National Republican Congressional Committee quipped.
Newsom defended himself by arguing that, while beautification efforts were ramped up to welcome the Chinese delegation, the efforts themselves had been long-running.
While Newsom touts his desire for increased economic cooperation with China, senior employees at Chinese firms operating in the United States, among those poised to benefit most from increased economic integration, have flooded California Democrats with campaign donations.
State, local, and Federal Democrats in California have received well over $200,000 from top staffers at the following companies: BYD, Baidu, Alibaba, ByteDance, Huawei, Tencent, DeHeng, and Wanxiang Corporation. All were singled out by lawmakers and the press for their purported collaborative relationships with the CCP, as well as individuals working for media outlets allegedly working with the Chinese government to disseminate propaganda.
BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that the Atlantic Council has described as “essentially at the service of the CCP,” was one of the most prolific such donors, routing over $80,000 to California Democrats, both directly and through its executives, since 2018.
Bloomberg reported in November 2025 that the Pentagon is poised to designate BYD as a “Chinese military company,” meaning that defense officials believe the company to be either controlled by the Chinese military or playing a role in its military-civil fusion strategy, a Chinese government initiative aimed at integrating industry with the armed forces to improve the People’s Liberation Army’s warfighting abilities.
As it greased the palms of California Democrats, BYD expanded its commercial presence in the state and snagged a number of valuable public contracts. In 2023, for instance, California authorized state and local agencies to purchase BYD’s electric buses. Los Angeles has also awarded contracts to BYD.
BYD president Ke Li gave Newsom $50,000 across his 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial campaigns, records show.
Alibaba Group and Baidu, whose employees have also made contributions to California Democrats, are also slated to be designated as Chinese military companies, according to Bloomberg.
NEW TOP DEMOCRAT ON HOUSE CCP COMMITTEE TOOK CASH FROM CHINA-LINKED DONORS
Ng, Pang, and employees of state-linked Chinese companies also made donations to California Republicans, though of a much smaller magnitude than what they routed to the state’s Democrats.
Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment.