Thread by @metzsam

China's efforts to win friends & influence people has found traction in states like Utah, where advocates have gotten lawmakers to delay legislation & nixed resolution that conveyed displeasure with Beijing and show support in ways that enhanced its image.apnews.com/article/china-…

.@AP's investigation from @AlanSuderman & I found that Utahns with links to what experts said were Chinese Front groups—the son of a former lawmaker & a Weber State prof—worked for years to influence policy, taking lawmakers on trips to China & opining on legislative actions.

Utah offers a case study into how China tailors its "subnational influence efforts" (which nat'l security agencies have warned of for years) to local communities. China's allies joined the Senate president's Ward and reference the Book of Mormon in overtures about legislation.

Beijing’s success in Utah shows “how pervasive and persistent China has been in trying to influence America,” said Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI counterintelligence agent who lives in Utah.

Read:
apnews.com/article/china-…

Here are @AP's key takeaways #utpol apnews.com/article/china-…