By Cao Ming, Vision Times
FAIRFAX, Virginia — The Asian Community Service Center in Virginia held a “Meet-and-Greet” event with candidates for the U.S. Congress and the Virginia House of Delegates. The goal of the event — which took place at the George Mason Regional Library in Fairfax on June 21 — was to promote understanding and interaction between candidates and members of the local Asian community.
During the meeting, local Falun Gong practitioners exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) increasingly rampant acts of transnational repression. The candidates, who represented both the Democratic and Republican parties, said they would watch this issue closely, and several vowed to fight back strongly.
Due to the sudden and untimely death of Congressman Gerry Connolly, who represented Virginia’s 11th district, a special election will be held on Sept. 9. Voters will elect the Democratic and Republican candidates at a primary election on June 28. Of the 17 congressional candidates on the primary ballot, five attended the Meet-and-Greet, along with three state-level candidates.
Introducing Falun Gong and the CCP’s evolving persecution tactics
Many local voters attended the meeting, including Falun Gong practitioners. Host Jim Giragosian welcomed attendees and provided a brief overview of Falun Gong: a traditional Chinese spiritual practice that combines gentle exercises with spiritual cultivation in accordance of the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
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He also described how the CCP has been persecuting Falun Gong since 1999 and how the Chinese regime’s repressive actions have even reached the United States. The persecution also impacts non-practitioners, Giragosian explained, as the CCP uses Falun Gong practitioners in China as sources of slave labor — including making goods that are sometimes sold in American stores — and sources of organs for the CCP’s organ trade.
Candidates and community members were able to learn more about Falun Gong as local practitioners demonstrated the five sets of exercises. They also played a brief video that provided more details about Falun Gong, the CCP’s persecution, and the Chinese regime’s use of organ harvesting against practitioners.
Mark Yang, a researcher at the Falun Dafa Information Center, then gave a presentation detailing how the CCP has extended its persecution of Falun Gong to the U.S. He described how agents of the CCP have surveilled, harassed, threatened, robbed, and beaten Falun Gong practitioners on American soil, and even invaded a practitioner’s home. Yang said he also encounters CCP propaganda against Falun Gong at the university where he studies.
Yang also talked about Shen Yun, a successful and critically acclaimed performing arts company founded by Falun Gong practitioners, which seeks to revive traditional Chinese culture and expose the CCP’s persecution.
Shen Yun has also become the target of the CCP’s transnational repression. For over 10 years, the CCP has used tactics like slashing the tires of the buses that transport Shen Yun artists, and pressuring theaters to refuse to allow Shen Yun performances. Of late, many theaters where Shen Yun does perform — including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC — have received bomb threats. Shen Yun artists and staff members have also been threatened.
Many of the Falun Gong practitioners who attended the Meet-and-Greet have family members who perform and work with Shen Yun. The actions of the CCP, therefore, constitute a direct threat to members of the community, as well as to the national interests and sovereignty of the U.S. Yang asked the candidates to be vigilant and to investigate the increasing influence and infiltration by the CCP.
US Congressional candidates address Asian-American voters
The candidates then introduced themselves one by one and responded to questions from Asian-American voters about the actions they would take in the face of the CCP’s repressive actions in the U.S.
Republican congressional candidate Stewart Whitson is the legal director of the Foundation for Government Accountability and a former FBI agent. He said that he would work to ban Chinese officials from buying farmland and radio stations in the US. He also expressed support for President Trump’s philosophy of peace through strength as well as Trump’s opposition to CCP influence in the US. Whitson responded to a community member’s question about CCP lawfare in the U.S., saying he would find a way to stop it.
Dan Lee, a Democratic congressional candidate and a descendant of Korean immigrants, has served in both the U.S. government and the World Bank and later founded his own company. He noted that his wife is a Chinese immigrant who fled persecution in China and came to the U.S. to study. He stressed the importance of fighting back against the Chinese regime, which he compared to a bully, despite its status as America’s largest trading partner.
Democratic congressional candidate Leo Martinez, who fled to the United States from Venezuela, is an international lawyer, a former member of the Venezuelan Congress, a federal consultant, and an advocate of democracy and human rights. His representative attended the meeting and said that Martinez would unwaveringly defend his commitment to democracy. She also emphasized the importance of due process as a crucial part of democracy. In response to the question about CCP lawfare, she said this was a bipartisan issue. She suggested that community members ask their representatives in Congress to pressure the State Department to take action.
Republican congressional candidate Mike Van Meter, a former police officer and FBI employee, is a behavioral therapist dedicated to fighting drug addiction. His representative attended the meeting and said that Van Meter would never accept funds from the CCP or any group connected with it. He also said that Van Meter will hold members of Congress accountable if they accept funds from the CCP, will work to suppress the CCP’s rapidly growing influence, and will investigate the CCP’s actions against Falun Gong practitioners in the US.
Democratic congressional candidate Candice Bennett is a member of the Fairfax County Planning Commission. She stressed her commitment to supporting federal workers, protecting Social Security, and advocating for affordable housing. She also emphasized her core values of kindness, empathy, and social justice, and her dedication to fighting for the dignity of all people, regardless of their background or party affiliation.
Defending religious freedom
Delegate Vivian Watts is running for reelection as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, where she has served for many years. She is also the chair of the Virginia House Finance Committee. She has been an avid supporter of local Falun Gong practitioners in defending their freedom of belief. She said she would continue to ensure that the voices of Falun Gong practitioners are heard at the state level.
Watts also endorsed Democratic congressional candidate James Walkinshaw, who was unable to attend the meeting. Walkinshaw currently serves on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and was the chief of staff to the late Congressman Connolly for more than a decade. He is currently the most popular Democratic congressional candidate in this campaign.
Kristin Hoffman is a Republican candidate for the Virginia House of Representatives. As an experienced technology executive, she said she had been to China and her eldest son can speak Chinese. In response to the persecution of Falun Gong, she emphasized the need to defend the freedom of belief and freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. She reminded attendees that the US was founded by people who escaped religious persecution and pursued economic freedom. She said that everyone has a responsibility to continue to fight for these freedoms.
Ed McGovern, another Republican candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, is a retired federal employee. He vowed to enact policies that reflect the values of the community. McGovern said that an effective response to CCP lawfare requires critical thinking and the ability to persevere. He noted that the CCP helped a Chinese firm purchase a major American meat production company based in Virginia, which affected the local economy.
After the presentations and question-and-answer session, candidates socialized and conversed with community members while enjoying homemade dumplings and spring rolls. It was a valuable event that allowed candidates and voters to learn from each other.
