Texas Takes The Lead In Deeper Decoupling From China
Date
11/25/2024 12:06:28 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times)
The governor of Texas has ordered its state funds to withdraw investments from China and asked all state agencies to take measures to protect themselves from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s possible cyberattacks and infiltrations.
Greg Abbott, a Republican politician who has been Texas' governor since 2015, issued three executive orders and a letter from November 18 to 21 calling on government departments, universities and state funds to cut their ties with China.
His calls came two weeks after Republican Donald trump won the presidential election on November 5. They were announced at the same time as Abbott's offer of 1,402 acres of land along the US-Mexico border near Rio Grande City to build facilities as part of Trump's mass illegal immigrant deportation plan.
In recent days, Abbott has issued:
an executive order to protect Texans (Chinese descent) from the coordinated harassment and coercion by the People's Republic of China (PRC) or the CCP;
an executive order to protect Texas' critical infrastructure from threats posed by the PRC and the CCP;
an executive order to harden state government from the malicious espionage operations of the PRC and the CCP;
a letter to Texas state agencies directing them to divest from risky investments originating from China.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Houston also issued a warning to Texans on November 18 that the PRC may be targeting and harassing Chinese dissidents who speak out against the CCP in Texas.
“The CCP has engaged in a worldwide harassment campaign against Chinese dissidents in attempts to forcibly return them to China,” said Abbott.“Texas will not tolerate the harassment or coercion of the more than 250,000 individuals of Chinese descent who legally call Texas home by the CCP or its heinous proxies.”
In 2014, the Chinese government launched a covert global operation known as Operation Fox Hunt to arrest and repatriate suspects of financial crimes. However, the operation was reportedly used to arrest and harass political dissidents around the globe.
In July 2020, the Trump administration ordered China to“cease all operations and events” at its consulate in Houston, Texas within 72 hours.
The State Department said at the time that China had engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations, and that those activities had significantly increased in recent years.
In retaliation, China ordered the US Consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan province to cease operations.
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