Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been photographed multiple times this month alongside a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official who has publicly denied allegations of genocide against the Uyghur population. Chinese Consul General in New York, Chen Li, has shared several pictures on his X profile showing him with Schumer, including images from at least two Chinese parades.
“Thrilled to join thousands at the [Brooklyn] Lantern Festival Parade!” Chen recently posted on X along with a photo standing with Schumer at the annual Lantern Festival parade in New York City. “Incredible Chinese cultural performances–so proud of Chinese Community in New York! It’s time for celebration and friendship!” Fox News noted in another post on Monday that included Schumer and anti-Trump Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Chen said he was “glad to join the 27th NYC Lunar New Year Parade together with” all his American “friends” and Chinese “fellow-countrymen.”
Chen has previously rejected the allegations of genocide against the Uyghur population, a claim that has been condemned by many on the global stage, including the United Nations. “It’s hard to imagine how could ‘genocide’ and ‘forced labor’ associated with such a place where population grows steadily, society is safe and open, and people enjoy happy life. Where do the accusations come from?” Chen wrote in 2021.
“‘Genocide’ was claimed by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the very last day of his term. It was based on reports fabricated by some extremist anti-China individuals who haven’t been to Xinjiang for years and accounts of a few so-called witnesses who were proved to be trained ‘actors’ and ‘actresses,'” he added. The CCP has consistently asserted that its “re-education camps” are voluntary and aimed solely at combating extremism. However, leaked documents and photos have revealed that the camps are far from voluntary, as reported earlier by Fox News Digital.
The news outlet consulted an expert on U.S.-China relations who opposed the notion of elected officials engaging publicly with CCP officials. “The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking to weaken America from within. Elected officials shouldn’t share the stage with them; they should be working to defeat Beijing,” Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik told Fox News. “It sends mixed signals when politicians talk about countering the CCP one day then break bread with them the next.”
Schumer has faced criticism in the past for his association with Chen’s predecessor at the consulate, Huang Ping, who also denied the Uyghur genocide and has been known to promote CCP propaganda. Huang traveled along the East Coast, meeting with business leaders, lawmakers, media organizations, and universities, before leaving his post last year, shortly after being mentioned numerous times in a criminal indictment involving Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, Fox reported.
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