The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) long-standing transnational repression targeting Falun Gong practitioners outside China has taken a dramatic turn over the past year.
Coming from the top: With roots at the highest echelons of the party, the regime has launched a new campaign to discredit the Falun Gong community in the United States and sabotage the American Chinese classical dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts, which was founded by Falun Gong practitioners.
The regime’s endgame: The CCP’s stated goal is to turn American society and even the U.S. government against Falun Gong and Shen Yun, weakening them globally as sources of dissent and alternative visions for China’s future.
Key tactics: Thus far, the campaign has manifested in physical attacks, fake bomb threats, groundless lawsuits, and a small number of instigators spreading misleading claims on social media and major news outlets, especially the New York Times. They have also sought to prompt investigations of Shen Yun by U.S. government agencies.
New playbook: This coordinated campaign eerily matches plans that sources within the regime’s security apparatus have leaked in advance, reinforcing the credibility of their warnings.
What’s at stake: Beyond the severe consequences for Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun, if successful, this campaign would offer Beijing a blueprint for how to destroy any company, organization, or group of people in the United States at will, therefore representing a significant threat to American institutions more broadly.