China-US relations: Pompeo calls for think tanks in America to show all foreign funding

US secretary of state cites concerns about foreign influence, particularly by Beijing and Moscow, while appealing for greater contribution transparency

The Trump administration is increasing scrutiny of Chinese operations in the US

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says disclosure of foreign funding protect the integrity of civil society institutions. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 14 Oct 2020Updated: 10:42pm, 14 Oct 2020

The US has requested that think tanks and other foreign policy organisations operating in the country voluntarily disclose any foreign funding, citing influence concerns about China and Russia.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the disclosure of contributions from governments and state-owned and state-operated entities would determine whether and how the state department engaged with organisations.

The move would “protect the integrity of civil society institutions”, and reflected fears that Beijing and Moscow had sought to “exert influence over US foreign policy through lobbyists, external experts and think tanks”, he said.

“We hope one day soon that US efforts to promote free and open dialogue about economic and personal liberty, equal citizenship, the rule of law and authentic civil society, will be possible in places such as China and Russia,” he said.

Pompeo added in a tweet that this would ensure free discourse “untainted by the machinations of authoritarian regimes”.

The call for financial transparency comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese influence in the US, as relations between the major powers have spiralled across multiple fronts. Pompeo has warned of Beijing’s “influence operations” on US college campuses and on state and local officials, messaging from China’s sprawling international state-media apparatus and the impact of links between China and US businesses.