{"id":2403037,"date":"2025-02-15T13:11:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T18:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-china-musk-using-doge-to-target-anti-ccp-group-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-15T13:13:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T18:13:25","slug":"pro-china-musk-using-doge-to-target-anti-ccp-group-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-china-musk-using-doge-to-target-anti-ccp-group-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Pro-China&#8217; Musk using DOGE to target anti-CCP group &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpro-china-musk-using-doge-to-target-anti-ccp-group-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2403037&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Elon Musk&#8217;s \u200bconnections to China and \u200chis controversial\u2063 stance\u2062 towards the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).musk, \u2063who has important business \u2063interests in china, \u2062has pushed for \u200breductions in funding for\u2064 NED, \u200can association that \u2063works against \u2064Chinese communist Party influence \u2063by supporting democracy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-houses-short-lived-disinfo-czar-nina-jankowicz-registers-as-foreign-agent\/\" title=\"White House&#039;s Short-Lived &quot;Disinfo Czar&quot; Nina Jankowicz Registers as Foreign Agent\">exposing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-like-the-good-old-days-joe-biden-invades-syria-with-convoy-of-us-troops-and-choppers-on-first-full-day-as-president\/\" title=\"Just Like the Good Old Days: Joe Biden Invades Syria with Convoy of US Troops and Choppers on First Full Day as President\">human rights abuses<\/a><\/a>.He \u200dhas described NED \u200das an &#8220;evil\u2062 organization,&#8221; aligning\u200d his views with \u2064the Chinese government&#8217;s \u2064accusations that NED acts as a tool for U.S. \u200bintelligence. \u200bThe \u2064NED has historically been backed by both Republican and Democratic parties,but with changes in governance and \u200bMusk&#8217;s influence,there is growing \u200cdivision over its role.<\/p>\n<p>Musk&#8217;s\u2063 business dealings are highlighted, notably \u200cTesla&#8217;s reliance on the Chinese market\u200b and ties to Chinese companies like CATL and Tencent.\u2063 As NED\u2019s funding has been cut, it faces challenges in maintaining \u200dits operational capabilities, which \u2064raises concerns among supporters who fear the weakening of american democratic interests abroad. The\u2064 piece also touches on the mixed perceptions of NED within U.S.\u2063 politics,\u2062 with some seeing it as a \u200bsupport for \u2064democracy,\u200b while others classify its initiatives, particularly those funded to combat the CCP, \u200das partisan. Ultimately,\u200b this situation exemplifies the\u200b complicated relationship between business \u200dinterests, \u200cnational policy, and\u200d international influence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Elon Musk is &lsquo;kind of pro-China&rsquo;. DOGE is targeting group working to counter CCP influence<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1927263\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Elon-Musk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Elon Musk<\/a>, who has significant business ties to China, has directed operatives working for his Department of Government Efficiency to cut funding to the National Endowment for Democracy, a federally funded nonprofit group that does extensive work countering Chinese influence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>NED has long funded groups working to combat the Chinese Communist Party by exposing its human rights abuses and supporting anti-communist efforts in China. For this reason, conservative China hawks have <a href=\"https:\/\/newcriterion.com\/dispatch\/the-doge-team-zeroes-out-the-national-endowment-for-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">long supported<\/a> the organization, with U.N. Ambassador Nominee Elise Stefanik, formerly one of China&rsquo;s fiercest critics in the House, at one point <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/06\/17\/elise-stefanik-democracy-board-495024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sitting<\/a> on its board of directors. Republicans and Democrats have long held a consensus that NED is an important tool for advancing American interests.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3292730\/all-executive-orders-actions-trump-first-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FULL LIST OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ACTIONS, AND PROCLAMATIONS TRUMP HAS MADE AS PRESIDENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With a new administration in town, however, that consensus appears to be waning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Musk, who exerts considerable influence over the Trump administration and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/17\/nx-s1-5246176\/china-biden-trade-ambassador-beijing#:~:text=On%20the%20other%20side%20of,the%20oath%20of%20office%20Monday.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">called himself<\/a> &ldquo;kind of pro-China,&rdquo; earlier this month <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886096100353818930\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">described <\/a>NED as an &ldquo;evil organization&rdquo; that &ldquo;needs to be dissolved.&rdquo; On this point, Musk and the CCP are in agreement.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government has long accused NED of being a covert arm of U.S. intelligence agencies. An August 2024 report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mfa.gov.cn\/eng\/xw\/wjbxw\/202408\/t20240809_11468618.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">released <\/a>by China&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused NED of promoting coups, rigging elections, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/soros-flooded-big-tech-censorship-pressure-group-with-millions-during-midterm-elections\/\" title=\"Soros poured millions into Big Tech censorship group during midterms\">promoting false information<\/a>, and otherwise inciting division globally. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/13\/national-endowment-democracy-musk-funding-017146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">called <\/a>NED a threat to &ldquo;world peace and stability.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Musk&rsquo;s business ties to China run deep. In 2024, China <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/autos-transportation\/teslas-china-sales-rise-record-high-83000-december-2025-01-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">represented <\/a>36.7% of Tesla&rsquo;s car sales, making access to Chinese markets crucial to the billionaire. Tesla also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasdaq.com\/articles\/where-does-tesla-get-its-lithium\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">works <\/a>with CATL, a Chinese battery manufacturer that was recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3309039\/big-tech-trump-ties-chinese-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">added <\/a>to the Pentagon&rsquo;s list of &ldquo;Chinese military companies,&rdquo; to supply parts for its vehicles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tencent, another &ldquo;Chinese military company&rdquo; according to the Department of Defense, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/elon-musk-business-ties-china-create-unease-washington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">disclosed <\/a>a roughly five percent stake in Tesla in 2018, with CNBC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/01\/20\/tesla-shareholder-tencent-backs-elon-musk-despite-twitter-distraction.html#:~:text=Tencent%2C%20known%20as%20one%20of,Tesla%20needed%20a%20steady%20hand.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reporting <\/a>in 2023 that it sold &ldquo;some&rdquo; of its Tesla shares. Tesla has also <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/world\/2025-02-10-elon-musks-china-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">received <\/a>over half a billion dollars in loans from Chinese state-owned banks and a tax break from the CCP.&nbsp;Tencent denied it was a Chinese military company in a statement provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3309039\/big-tech-trump-ties-chinese-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"earlier this month\">earlier this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque\/Pool Photo via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The CCP&rsquo;s opposition to NED is understandable as the group has thrown massive amounts of resources into fighting Chinese communism. NED&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ned.org\/region\/asia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">website <\/a>states that it spent roughly $10 million during the 2023 fiscal year across 55 different projects in China. These operations included funding organizations documenting the Uyghur genocide and aiding Tibetans in resisting China&rsquo;s occupation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tesla <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/01\/03\/business\/tesla-opens-showroom-xinjiang-china\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">opened <\/a>a showroom in Xinjiang, the province where Uyghurs face human rights abuses, in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>NED also funds domestic groups working to combat China, tax documents <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/521344831\/202412079349301611\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">show<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3309039\/big-tech-trump-ties-chinese-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"BIG TECH, COZYING UP TO TRUMP, HOLDS ON TO CHINESE MILITARY TIES\"><strong>BIG TECH, COZYING UP TO TRUMP, HOLDS ON TO CHINESE MILITARY TIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>China Digital Times, a California-based nonprofit bi-lingual news organization that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">publishes news items censored<\/a> by the Chinese regime as well as leaked Chinese documents, received just over $1 million from NED during the 2023 fiscal year. Other groups opposing the CCP, such as those advocating for Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Chinese political dissidents, received hundreds of thousands more from NED over the same period.<\/p>\n<p>The International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, aligned with their eponymous political parties, are two of NED&rsquo;s biggest grantees, collectively receiving well over $70 million for it during the 2023 fiscal year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iri.org\/news\/statement-by-the-international-republican-institute-on-the-chinese-communist-partys-announcement-of-sanctions-on-u-s-citizens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Both<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndi.org\/publications\/statement-people-s-republic-china-s-announcement-sanctions-targeting-ndi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">organizations <\/a>have also expended considerable resources combating the CCP, even earning formal sanctions from the Chinese government over their support of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p>NED&rsquo;s grantees have &ldquo;exposed the Uyghur genocide as well as the Chinese Communist Party&rsquo;s network of overseas police stations bringing their tools and techniques of coercion and repression into free societies, including here in the United States,&rdquo;&nbsp; NED president Damon Wilson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/trump-starves-the-national-endowment-for-democracy-elon-musk-doge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said <\/a>to the <em>Free Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The Musk-backed attack on NED has proved effective thus far.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a bloodbath,&rdquo; one NED staffer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/trump-starves-the-national-endowment-for-democracy-elon-musk-doge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told the Free Press\">told the <em>Free Press<\/em><\/a>. &ldquo;We have not been able to meet payroll and pay basic overhead expenses.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>NED informed the organizations it funds on Wednesday that payments will be ceasing immediately, according to a memo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/02\/13\/national-endowment-democracy-musk-funding-017146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">obtained<\/a> by <em>Politico<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While NED funds both conservative and liberal efforts to advance American interests abroad, some of its operations have come under partisan criticism<\/p>\n<p>One of the brightest flashpoints followed a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/1877093\/disinformation-inc-state-department-backed-group-cuts-ties-with-group-blacklisting-conservative-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">investigation<\/a> revealing that NED had funded a group called the Global Disinformation Index, which disseminated a list containing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/snopes-posts-bogus-pro-aoc-fact-check-ends-up-exposing-its-left-wing-bias\/\" title=\"Snopes Posts Bogus Pro-AOC \u2018Fact Check,\u2019 Ends Up Exposing Its Left-Wing Bias\">conservative news outlets<\/a> to advertisers, advising them to blacklist the publication. Congressional Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3167777\/group-trades-barbs-congress-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">probed and criticized<\/a> NED following the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>report.<\/p>\n<p>Some conservatives, however, maintain support for the institution.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The notion that NED is a bastion of woke would come as a great surprise to the Reaganites who backed it,&rdquo; NED board member Daniel Fried said in a statement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3298765\/us-aid-freeze-presents-opportunity-china-afghanistan-will-it-take-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Experts <\/a>across the <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/amid-foreign-aid-pause-lawmakers-alarmed-china-fill\/story?id=118804215\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">political aisle <\/a>have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/national-security-daily\/2025\/02\/10\/as-usaid-retreats-china-pounces-00195922\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">criticized <\/a>the Musk-based USAID freeze as a boon to China as it will allow the communist country to influence other countries without an American counterweight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1927263\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1927263\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk, with strong ties to China, is cutting funds to the NED, which counters CCP influence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2403038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP25044785359446.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[23466,4250,22523],"class_list":["post-2403037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-doge","tag-musk","tag-pro-china"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP25044785359446.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2403037"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2403041,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403037\/revisions\/2403041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2403038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2403037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2403037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2403037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}