U.S. Sen Cotton Warns China May Try to Influence Arkansas at Local Level

On Thursday, Talk Business & Politics reported that U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R – AR) sent a letter to Arkansas’ elected officials at the state and county levels warning them that the Chinese Communist Party may try to use them to influence him.

Sen. Cotton has served in Washington since 2013. He currently sits on the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence.

In his letter, Sen. Cotton writes,

It has come to my attention that the Chinese Communist Party may attempt to use state and local officials in Arkansas to influence my work in the Senate. I want to alert you to this risk and assure you that these efforts will fail: I will never back down from the Chinese communists.

In its quest to replace the United States as the world’s dominant superpower, the Chinese Communist Party has waged an aggressive campaign of crime, espionage, and treachery. . . .

China’s subversion efforts are not limited to our nation’s capitol: I have good reason to believe that the Chinese Communist Party may seek to enlist state and local officials to influence my actions in Congress. Therefore, I ask that you remain vigilant against Chinese influence operations. You should assume, for instance, that any request by a Chinese official for you to contact me or my office is part of a Chinese espionage campaign.

In December the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote about the Chinese government’s decision to sanction Dr. James Carr of Searcy as well as three other Americans on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The USCIRF has repeatedly condemned the Communist government’s treatment of religious minorities.

And in July of 2020 FBI Director Christopher Wray gave a report on the threat China poses, saying, “If you are an American adult, it is more likely than not that China has stolen your personal data.”

As the FBI’s report notes, the Chinese Communist government is engaged in a multi-layered approach of economic espionage, clandestine intelligence efforts, threats to academia, and attacks on the rule of law.

Sen. Tom Cotton’s letter further underscores that China appears committed to subverting the United States — possibly at the state and local level in Arkansas.

Hong Kong Parents Struggle for the Hearts and Minds of their Children

Parents, educators, the church, and the state all play essential roles within a society, but when the state goes bad, it can take down every other sphere with it. For example, according to a recent article in The Economist, “A struggle is underway for the hearts and minds of Hong Kong’s children.” 

In August, the city’s pro-democracy teacher’s union disbanded, following a government crackdown that had called it “a malignant tumor.” Since then, the curriculum now “educates” children solely on the virtues of the Chinese Communist Party. Speaking out against these changes could lead to life in prison

As a result, some parents have stopped talking about politics at home, fearing their young children will say the wrong thing at school. Others continue to teach their kids democratic ideas, at risk of government retaliation to themselves or relatives. As a result, tens of thousands of residents are leaving the city altogether. 

It’s good that parents are aware enough to be concerned. Unfortunately, too many parents here fail to take seriously the ideas that threaten the hearts and minds in our schools.

Copyright 2022 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

Apple Removes Bible and Qur’an from China

Two months ago, Apple quietly removed a Quran app and a Bible App from its app store in China at the request of the Chinese Communist Party. Apple claimed in a statement they had to do it because they have to, quote, “obey local laws.”

This is the same 2.8-trillion-dollar company with an “Inclusion and Diversity” initiative that claims, without a sense of irony, to hold a, quote, “long-standing commitment to making… the world more just.” According to its American website, that means hiring a more racially diverse group of employees. That’s great. It’s unclear how that helps the 1.4 billion people living under increasing religious oppression in China.

This is a good reminder. When companies like Apple throw around the word “inclusive,” it’s because they see a profit opportunity. When companies like Apple are happily complicit in outright oppression, it’s because they won’t risk a profit opportunity. If the day comes when American culture gives Apple an ultimatum: either nix the Bible here or lose your profit, we need only look to China to discover what they’d do.

Copyright 2021 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.