The China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), which is backed by the Chinese government, is conducting a campaign to mold the curriculum in American K-12 schools, including by attempting to “influence” textbooks and funding organizations that determine what’s taught in classrooms.
CUSEF was founded by the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which the U.S.-China Security and Economic Review Commission has identified as the “highest-ranking entity overseeing” China’s United Front.
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According to the commission’s report, the United Front is an effort “to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party” and to get leaders in the western world to “take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing’s preferred policies.”
This effort extends to America’s classrooms.
As seen in a 2011 Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filing with the U.S. Department of Justice, BLJ Worldwide, CUSEF’s American lobbyist, is working on behalf of the Chinese government-linked organization to influence textbooks.
For example, BLJ sought to shape students’ perception of the political situation in Tibet, which is occupied by the oppressive communist Chinese government. CUSEF sought to counter negative perceptions of China’s Tibet policies by “introducing” a “strong, factual counter-narrative to defend and promote the actions of China within the Tibet Autonomous Region.”
“By creating a factual account of the Chinese impact on Tibet and producing a report that eliminates the emotion from the situation, we believe we will have a strong platform from which to address critics of China,” the report read.
To this end, BLJ promised to liaise with “editors and publishers” of American textbooks.
According to the report, “BLJ had conducted the first stage of a textbook analysis, and will proceed with contacting editors and publishers once the CUSEF sponsored study is published and there is material with which to approach the relevant parties.”
As The National Pulse reports:
Other aspects of the campaign included:
1. Initiate a short-medium term US campaign to influence key constituencies (politicians, academics & experts) as well as general public opinion regarding China’s true efforts and intentions in Tibet
2. Change the debate about Tibet in the US to one that reduces the purely emotional arguments and promote accurate, factual evidence
3. Develop and promote a positive and cohesive narrative description of China’s engagement and history with Tibet, noting the many educational, infrastructure, and other investments in the region
4. Begin implementing a long-term strategy for better informing the next generation of US thought leaders about China-Tibet
Moreover, since 2008, CUSEF has partnered with Primary Source, an American entity that gives K-12 schools “resource materials to targeted curriculum consultation.”
Primary Source claims that, since 1989, it has “reached over one million students.” Several public school districts and independent schools are partnered with the group.
Primary Source’s own website states that CUSEF has been “providing funding for our China programs” since 2008 and sponsoring trips to China for its educators.
“The Foundation also supported two study trips for American K-12 teachers organized by the Primary Source, a non-profit organization based in Massachusetts. In 2008 and 2009, two groups of K-12 teachers from the New England area in the United States traveled to China for a two-week tour,” said a CUSEF brochure.
Another brochure, one from 2011, said, “The Foundation also continued its work with Primary Source, a US-based non-profit organization that brings American K-12 educators to China and engages them with Chinese culture. By engaging educators and youth, the Foundation is fostering a relationship with people and ideas into the future.”
CUSEF has separately sponsored China trips for Los Angeles-based American high school students, enabling them “to visit Beijing and Shanghai and acquainted them with Chinese culture.”
Likewise, the Chicago Urban League has sent yearly delegations of 20 high school students to China as part of excursions that are “supported and funded” by CUSEF since 2013.
And as The New American has previously reported, both high-level American politicians and members of major U.S. media outlets have been flown off to China to be wined and dined at CUSEF’s expense in order to curry their favor on behalf of the communist Chinese government.
