On Tuesday, Aug. 19, Vision Times interviewed Dr. Srilekha Palle, Chair of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Virginia Asian Advisory Board, about Communist China’s influence in the United States — focusing on Beijing’s transnational repression of Falun Gong practitioners and the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, which she condemned as “unacceptable.”
Dr. Palle described Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts as being “national treasures” for the U.S. and that, “for anyone to come in and attack those national treasures is basically attacking America, which is completely unacceptable.”
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts Company is dedicated to restoring authentic Chinese culture through traditional dance and music, showcasing “pre-communist China.” However, the company has been subject to malicious attacks from the Chinese Communist Party, including threats of bombing, shooting, and arson. Furthermore, the CCP has resorted to unrestricted warfare, including media campaigns and legal battles, to intensify its cross-border repression of Falun Gong and Shen Yun.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a Chinese spiritual practice of the Buddhist tradition. Founded by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992, the qigong discipline enjoyed great popularity throughout China prior to July 1999, when the CCP leadership launched a nationwide campaign to destroy Falun Gong.
Dr. Palle, who has attended a Shen Yun performance and interacted with Falun Gong practitioners, said they are both deeply integrated into American culture. She said that anyone who has seen a Shen Yun performance, and especially those who have learned about Falun Gong practitioners’ exercises and cultivation methods, will understand their principles and self-discipline.
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“Some of the students, or most of the students that are performing in Shen Yun are the students that are performing from a very, very young age. It takes countless hours and countless years of hard work and dedication and practice, and, for us to be tolerant of someone being aggressive to those children and threatening them is threatening [our] national sovereignty, and no one should accept that,” she said.
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The CCP’s infiltration
Dr. Palle is a medical professional and a mother. An immigrant from India, she has lived in the United States for 25 years and currently resides in Fairfax County.
She is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 23 years of experience in healthcare systems across Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area. Her expertise spans healthcare management, performance improvement, strategic planning, and quality initiatives
She emphasized that the CCP’s infiltration has long since expanded beyond the judicial system to encompass various fields, including education, scientific research, politics, and religion. For example, the CCP copied the curriculum of the renowned Thomas Jefferson Polytechnic High School in the United States and established numerous similar schools in China.
Furthermore, she said that the CCP has infiltrated prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, stealing scientific research and patents by funding professors and researchers. She warned that this pattern is not limited to the United States; she said she has witnessed similar cases in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Speaking about the responsibility of local politicians, she emphasized that Virginia’s proximity to Washington, D.C., means the influence of local policies cannot be underestimated. “If politicians claim to be unaware of the CCP’s actions, they are either ignorant or deceitful.” She bluntly stated that the CCP is influencing young Americans through social media and algorithms. “In the United States, (TikTok) is dumbing down children, while in China, the content and algorithms are completely different. This clearly demonstrates their goal: to erode American faith, family, and freedom.”
As for what ordinary citizens can do, she recommends staying aware, educating themselves, and actively participating in community and public affairs. “We must distinguish between our Chinese neighbors and the CCP regime. In fact, Chinese Americans understand the CCP’s true nature best. We should learn from them and tell politicians the truth. If politicians pretend not to understand, we should remind them.”
She concluded by urging American society to remain patriotic, avoid being co-opted by CCP policies, and fully defend the American system, way of life, and sovereignty.
