Rep. Banks Calls on Carmel to Cut Ties with CCP
Washington,
January 30, 2024
Today, Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party member Rep. Jim Banks sent a letter to recently inaugurated Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam asking her to withdraw Carmel from its sister cities agreement with Xiangyang City, China. Former Mayor Jim Brainard signed the agreement in November 2023 during a ten-day tour of China. Read Rep. Banks’ letter HERE and coverage in the Indiana Capital Chronicle HERE. Said Rep. Banks: “Carmel has a great opportunity to turn the page and hopefully lead the way by becoming the first of many Indiana cities to drop its sister city agreement and distance itself from the Chinese Communist Party.” Key Excerpts from Letter: “During his visit to Wuhan, Mayor Brainard signed a so-called ‘sister-city’ agreement with Xiangyang in China's Hubei province. The CCP has entered into sister-city agreements with over 150 cities across the United States in an effort to influence state and local government. China has successfully leveraged sister-city agreements to force non-American, foreign politicians to endorse its one-China policy… “I am committed to fighting this influence in Indiana and other states. Indiana state lawmakers are taking on CCP influence in our state as well. Today, the General Assembly advanced Rep. Culp’s H.B. 1183, which would prohibit Chinese nationals from owning or leasing agricultural land in Indiana. You have a golden opportunity to play a crucial part in these efforts and undo others’ mistakes by disentangling Carmel from the Chinese Communist Party.” At a Select Committee on China hearing today, Rep. Banks asked former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the Washington Post’s reporting on former Mayor Brainard’s trip, as well as the dangers of sister city agreements. Secretary Pompeo responded by saying: “When the Chinese Communist Party shows up at your school and offers a free swing set, it is not because they care about the health of your children… They may show up and give you some temporary lift, but in the end, it is about them, not us… This is an effort at every level for the Chinese Communist Party to have the capacity to influence our government. The Chinese Communist Party is truly evil.” In 2021, Rep. Banks sent this letter to Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas and FBI Director Wray regarding the danger of sister cities. |