WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) this week introduced the Sister City Transparency Act to create a Government Accountable Office (GAO) report on sister city partnerships in the U.S.

Sister cities exist ostensibly to promote cultural exchange and economic development. However, the Chinese Communist Party has begun using these partnerships to achieve geostrategic objectives.

“China is a threat to the United States, and we must have proper oversight and review of practices over sister city partnerships,” said Senator Tillis. “With proper insight, we can see the true nature of these partnerships and mitigate the risk of any corruption or destructive activity. I am proud to work with my colleagues on this legislation to protect our cities from any potential threat of espionage the Chinese Communist Party may impose.” 

The Sister City Transparency Act Would Order a Government Accountability Office Report To:

• Identify the oversight practices that U.S. communities implement to mitigate the risks of foreign espionage and economic coercion within sister city partnerships.
• Assess the extent to which foreign communities could use sister city partnerships to conduct malign activities, including academic and industrial espionage.
• Review best practices to ensure transparency regarding sister city partnerships’ agreements, activities, and employees.

BACKGROUND

• The United States maintains 1,800 sister city partnerships with countries worldwide, including 157 partnerships with Chinese communities.
• The CCP hides behind soft diplomacy and mutual benefit until its foreign partners exhibit political nonconformity. Thus, similar to Confucius Institutes, sister city partnerships may leave American communities vulnerable to foreign espionage and ideological coercion.
• There currently exists little information regarding sister city partnerships operating within the U.S. – not least because such partnerships generally fail to publicize information regarding their agreements, activities, and employees. The opacity of sister city partnerships impedes proper oversight and could enable malign activity.
• Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, characterizes sister city partnerships as critical to cooperation “under the framework of the [Belt and Road Initiative]”. The CCP recently revealed its political motivations in the Czech Republic, where the BRI’s promise of economic opportunity lured Prague into a sister city agreement with Shanghai. But Shanghai terminated the agreement in January 2020 – along with its myriad economic benefits – when Prague’s mayor refused to commit to the CCP’s “One China” policy.

Click here for bill text. 

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