State Dept reveals ties between leftist groups like Code Pink and CCP influence operations

The State Department told Congress on Tuesday that left-leaning nonprofits Code Pink and the People’s Forum are tied to Chinese influence campaigns. The report issued to Congress, part of the department’s “Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference” initiative, details how the Chinese Communists spread their propaganda through nonprofit networks.

“Organizations like Code Pink and the People’s Forum denigrate the United States, whitewash the violence of Marxist regimes, and run cover for China while enjoying an influx of cash from a donor network with connections to the Chinese Communist Party,” Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said in a statement provided to The New York Post. “The State Department will pursue complete transparency for the donor and NGO networks that lobby for our adversaries and seek to weaken the resolve of the United States.”

The report also cites groups linked to the so-called “Singham network,” nonprofits funded by tech mogul Neville Roy Singham. His wife is a co-founder of Code Pink, and Singham, an American living in China, reportedly “works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the New York Times reported in 2023.

“Chinese diplomats, state media, and pro-China influencers use social media, content-sharing agreements, and local partnerships to publish pro-CCP propaganda,” the report says. “China invests in [public diplomacy], exchanges, reporting tours, and educational and cultural initiatives to boost its image.” The department said that China, Iran, and Russia “aggressively use state media, proxies, and digital platforms to spread propaganda and falsehoods, undermine U.S. credibility and policies, and expand their influence.”

Code Pink, founded in 2002 as an anti-war group, runs a working group called “China Is Not Our Enemy,” which encourages Americans to travel to China. The State Department noted one trip where participants “studied revolutionary history in Ruijin” and toured “villages transformed by poverty alleviation programs.” A participant later said the trip convinced him to “defend [China] from our government’s aggression.” The nonprofit has also hosted webinars praising the Chinese communist revolution, including one where an activist described it as a “path forward to liberation.”

The People’s Forum in New York also praises the Chinese Communist Revolution and studies it as a model for leftist activists in the US. The group once hosted a three-part lesson on revolutionary processes and has organized pro-Maduro protests, according to the report. Founder Manolo de Los Santos reportedly met with Maduro in 2021.