Moolenaar to Philadelphia Mayor: Do Not Raise PRC Flag

This week, Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) sent a letter to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker demanding that the City of Philadelphia—the same city where America declared its independence nearly 250 year ago—cancel the upcoming official flag-raising ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party's Five-Star Red Flag.

"The city where America declared independence and that all people have the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, should not raise the flag of an authoritarian regime represented by the Chinese Communist Party, which denies those freedoms to its own people. Raising the flag of the People's Republic of China over Philadelphia is a disgrace to our nation’s founding values and flies in the face of all the courageous dissidents and human rights advocates who tirelessly work to bring freedom to the Chinese people," said Chairman Moolenaar.

"The Five-Star Red Flag, embodying the totalitarian government led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), represents a regime that is persecuting spiritual people of all faiths, including the genocide of Uyghur Muslims. It is a government that actively subsidizes the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, which has killed or harmed millions of Americans. It is a Communist Party-State that is diametrically opposed to American values and working to undermine our interests worldwide. The city government of Philadelphia should cancel the raising of the national flag of a foreign adversary country," writes Moolenaar in the letter.

Moolenaar highlights the dangers of the United Front organizations—groups that U.S. national security and experts have held responsible for conducting influence and intelligence operations in the United States on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Additionally, he outlines the need for local leaders to exercise greater vigilance when engaging with groups tied to the CCP's United Front system.

Moolenaar also asks Mayor Parker to end Philadelphia's sister-city relationship with Tianjin.

"Raising the national flag of a foreign adversary country sends the wrong message to our citizens and lawful residents, especially those oppressed by the CCP regime. The city government of Philadelphia should not allow itself to be exploited as a tool for CCP propaganda. To cancel the PRC flag-raising ceremony will not only demonstrate that the local government in the United States stands for U.S. values and national interests, but that it stands in support for the people of China who face the regime’s ruthless oppression and transnational repression," Moolenaar concludes in the letter.

Read the full letter here.