Executive Summary

This report documents acts of transnational repression (TNR) carried out by supporters of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against protesters during the visit to San Francisco in November 2023 of Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China. In all, 34 cases of harassment, intimidation, and assault are presented.

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The report shows the mobilization and involvement of the CCP’s “united front” network in the United States (US). In many cases, united front groups and figures were present during acts of assault, intimidation, and harassment, and some actively participated in them. The report also documents coordination among CCP supporters that suggests direction and planning. Their actions created a pervasive atmosphere of intimidation that not only had a deterrent effect on protests throughout the duration of Xi’s stay but also interfered with protesters’ exercise of their free speech rights.

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Most of the victims of the attacks were American citizens and residents, and all but one of the victims of the attacks had roots in China, East Turkestan, Hong Kong or Tibet. All were targets of TNR in San Francisco for demonstrating their opposition to Xi and the CCP. Some had previously been targets of repression in their homelands, or targets of CCP TNR, or both.

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The report also examines the response mechanisms of US policymakers and law enforcement authorities at both federal and local levels. Despite strong awareness of CCP TNR at the federal level and a general commitment to countering it, agencies were unprepared to do so in San Francisco. Local law enforcement authorities exhibited a lack of awareness of TNR, were often unresponsive when alerted to the attacks, and took little and inadequate action in response to the attacks. The result was that protesters were insufficiently protected and perpetrators have not been held accountable.

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This report makes 18 recommendations to the White House, relevant federal agencies, Congress, state and local authorities, and the United Nations, and includes the following recommendations:

• Investigate whether united front groups in the US are acting as unregistered foreign agents of the PRC in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

• Implement additional vetting for diplomatic visas issued to PRC applicants and screening for applicants connected to TNR activities.

• Offer protection to groups on US soil that are subject to TNR, including by expediting asylum cases and upgrading the existing Deferred Enforced Departure program for Hong Kongers to a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation.

• Pass legislation creating resources to combat TNR, such as the Transnational Repression Policy Act (H.R. 3654/S.831), the Stop Transnational Repression Act (H.R. 5907), the Combating Transnational Repression Act of 2024 (H.R. 7443), the Law Enforcement Support and Transnational Repression Hotline Act (H.R. 7433), and the Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression Act (H.R. 7439).

• Maintain relations with a diversity of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) groups representing different political views and identities and conduct due diligence on these groups’ backgrounds.