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China to Spend Over $100 Million on U.S. Lobbying in 2025, Fox News Reports

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Chinese state-backed media and companies plan to spend over $100 million on lobbying and influence operations in the United States in 2025.
  • This spending aims to shape U.S. policy and public opinion, with state media like CGTN receiving significant funding to promote narratives favorable to China.
  • Critics argue that Chinese entities exploit lobbying laws to avoid stricter transparency requirements, raising concerns about undisclosed influence campaigns.

Chinese state-controlled media and companies are set to invest over $100 million in U.S. lobbying and influence operations in 2025, according to a Fox News investigation citing federal records. This significant expenditure aims to shape American policy and public opinion, with state media outlets like China Global Television Network (CGTN) America receiving substantial funding.

The U.S. government, state-run media, and Chinese-funded enterprises have long invested heavily through the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) to shape U.S. policy and public opinion.

— Fox News InvestigationContext for the overall spending and intent of Chinese influence operations in the U.S.

CGTN America, operated by China Central Television, is slated to receive $66.8 million between February and November 2025. Research indicates CGTN frequently promotes left-leaning narratives on issues like climate change and immigration, while criticizing Trump administration policies. This strategy aims to portray the U.S. as poorly governed and socially unstable, contrasting it with China's perceived stability.

CGTN America received $66.8 million in funding between February and November 2025.

— CGTN AmericaSpecific financial details highlighting the scale of state media operations.

Beyond state media, Chinese corporations including Huawei, Hikvision, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp, and Jinko Solar are also spending millions on lobbying. Some of these firms, flagged by the Pentagon for military ties, are seeking to lift U.S. sanctions. Tencent, recently designated a "Chinese military company," has also increased its lobbying expenditures.

The Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Hong Kong and private institutions spent more than $20 million.

— Federal RecordsIllustrating spending beyond official state media channels.

Concerns are mounting that Chinese entities are exploiting the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) to bypass the more stringent transparency requirements of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Critics, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton, point to organizations like the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) as examples of influence operations that operate outside official regulatory oversight, despite alleged ties to Beijing's foreign policy goals.

Chinese companies are generally abusing the LDA, which only requires disclosure of basic information, to circumvent FARA's strict transparency review.

— Tom CottonSenator Cotton's criticism of how Chinese firms use lobbying laws.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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