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- US AG issues stern warnings to companies who aid and abet CCP propaganda
- Businesses would be forced to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)
- Amplified rhetoric comes as the conflict intensifies between US, China amid COVID-19
In what is widely considered the largest escalation of rhetoric to date, United States Attorney General William Barr made abundantly clear the fate of US business and tech firms, in particular, who knowingly or unknowingly helped the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flood the zone with their propaganda over US media: assist the CCP in this endeavor and you will be forced to register with the US government as a foreign agent. The speech from America’s top law enforcement agent comes amid rising tensions between the US and China over the origins, and subsequent cataclysmic destruction, of the Coronavirus. Describing the situation as what “…may prove to be the most important issue for our nation and the world in the twenty-first century…” Barr discussed at length the CCP’s “behind-the-scenes efforts to cultivate and coerce American business executives to further [CCP] political objectives” and reiterated the role that American businesses play in “…existing the Chinese Communist Party’s corrupt and dictatorial rule.”
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was enacted to encourage transparency in the US political process, media, and other areas subject to heavy foreign influence, requiring each person engaging in a defined area of activities on behalf of a foreign government to disclose such relationships to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). While FARA is not a new law, the application to large scale US businesses and tech firms would send shock waves across the economic and political spectrum, opening up all businesses who take foreign capital, management, or aid to increased scrutiny from the US government. Through this move, the DOJ hopes to awaken the US business community to the role they play in actively stopping the disinformation put out by the CCP relating to the origins of the Coronavirus and other PR areas to limit the influence the CCP has over American politics.
What consequences (or lack thereof) will AG Barr’s July 16th speech have on the broader business community? Be sure to continually check out our website to catch all the latest news and the potential impact it could have on you and your business.
Sincerely,
Stephen Jahelka
Chief Business Officer, Disaster Relief Consultant
Contact:
516-541-6549 | Email