House hearing probes how China, Cuba and Iran seek to influence Americans

The Chinese Communist Party is an “organizational weapon” that seeks access to influential American institutions to advance Beijing’s interests, a China expert warned lawmakers Tuesday.

Matthew Johnson, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said the CCP views organization as a source of political power and seeks to shape perceptions and decisions in Beijing’s favor.

“The party treats organization itself as a source of power,” Johnson said. “The party, in other words, is an organizational weapon.”Johnson said the CCP embeds political functions across universities, companies, think tanks, media organizations and professional bodies inside China, allowing the party to mobilize institutions toward common political goals.”

Abroad, Beijing cannot simply command an American university, company, journalist, think tank or activist,” Johnson said. “It must gain access and cultivate relationships within institutions that shape perception, expertise and decision making.”

Johnson pointed to outreach involving American activist and political networks, citing a 2025 China trip by Democratic Socialists of America members that he said was coordinated in part by a provincial foreign affairs office.

He also cited CodePink, a pro-China, anti-war nonprofit, and its “China Is Not Our Enemy” campaign, which he said was launched in 2020 following meetings in Beijing.Johnson cautioned that the examples did not by themselves establish direction from Beijing.

“None of these episodes alone establishes tasking or control,” Johnson said, arguing that taken together they demonstrate outreach to networks capable of educating, recruiting, advocating and mobilizing.

Ahead of the hearing, Johnson told Fox News Digital that Beijing increasingly seeks to shape U.S. debate through American institutions and organizations, making its messaging appear homegrown rather than directed by the Chinese government.