Moolenaar: U.S. Participation in CUSEF Forum Sends the Wrong Message

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) released the statement below following the news of U.S. officials attending a forum in Hong Kong convened by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a united front-linked organization that advances Chinese Communist Party interests. The CUSEF was founded by former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, best known for seeking to implement draconian national security legislation. At the CUSEF Forum in 2023, the event featured Hong Kong’s current Chief Executive, John Lee, who is sanctioned by the United States.
“The CUSEF forum is not an open and honest exchange of ideas. Instead, it is an event that seeks to legitimize the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong. This year’s forum is happening as Jimmy Lai and other pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong are on trial for fighting for the freedoms they once enjoyed, and it is disappointing that American officials would legitimize this CCP event. I hope in the future they will send a clear message that the deterioration of Hong Kong’s autonomy, rights, and freedom cannot be overlooked.”