The individuals, Dominic Ng, CEO of East West Bank, and Simon Pang, co-founder of Royal Business Bank, were both selected to serve on Bass’ transition team in 2022.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appointed two China-linked intelligence-linked bankers to her mayoral transition advisory team after they supported her political campaigns and a nonprofit she oversees, according to a report by the Daily Caller.
The individuals, Dominic Ng, CEO of East West Bank, and Simon Pang, co-founder of Royal Business Bank, were both selected to serve on Bass’ transition team in 2022. The two men reportedly donated over $1 million combined to Bass’ mayoral campaign and the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, a nonprofit where Bass serves as an advisor to the board of directors.
The Daily Caller report claims that Ng and Pang have both been tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), a foreign influence and intelligence arm of the CCP. A spokesperson for East West Bank acknowledged that Ng had previously participated in two Chinese government organizations but denied his involvement in a third that also listed him as a member.
Canadian investigative journalist Sam Cooper, author of “Wilful Blindness: How A Network Of Narcos, Tycoons And CCP Agents Infiltrated The West”, described the appointments as “a huge red flag.
“When donors connected to United Front groups have significant wealth and show up constantly around politicians, they’re there for a reason,” Cooper told the Daily Caller.
The outlet further reported that Pang has contributed up to $33,000 to Bass’ congressional and mayoral campaigns as well as the Mayor’s Fund. That includes $3,800 to her congressional campaign between 2019 and 2020 and $4,700 to her mayoral campaign since 2021, according to records from the Federal Election Commission and Los Angeles Ethics Commission.
Pang has reportedly served in several roles connected to the Chinese government, including as the “Southern California coordinator” for the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship With Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), an entity identified by US officials as affiliated with the United Front.
According to the Caller, "Ng, East West Bank and Pang have donated upwards of $1 million to Bass’ mayoral campaign and the Mayor’s Fund For Los Angeles. Ng contributed $1,500 to her mayoral campaign in 2022, which the East West Bank Foundation has donated an amount between $100,000 and $999,999 to the Mayor’s Fund For Los Angeles during this current reporting period. A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Fund For Los Angeles said the contributions assisted Bass’ mission to “end homelessness.”
The Bass administration’s ties to individuals with CCP affiliations have drawn increased scrutiny following a June 2025 investigation, which found that Bass appointed the son of a Democratic fundraiser and known CCP official as the city’s liaison for Asian-American affairs and director of commission appointments.
“Los Angeles is now a wide-open city for China’s communists,” said China expert Gordon Chang, author of “Plan Red: China’s Project To Destroy America.”
“Angelenos can thank the CCP sympathizer-in-chief, Karen Bass. Karen Bass resists federal agents and welcomes China’s communists. It’s very clear where her sympathies lie,” he added.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with clarifying language after The Daily Caller updated their original report.
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