Democratic Socialists Of America Sought Ties With CCP

Members of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America orbit discussed cultivating relationships with Chinese Communist Party officials and tailoring messaging to avoid topics “sensitive for Beijing,” according to internal meeting minutes reported Tuesday.

Newsweek said it reviewed “dozens” of documents dating back to 2021, including meeting minutes and materials describing trips to China. The documents show participants debating outreach to Chinese officials and pro-China advocacy framed as “anti-imperialism.” (RELATED: Mamdani’s Progressive Coalition Already Embroiled In Bitter Race War)

Wonderful to take a walk through Chinatown today with @yuhline and @CaaavVoice, and meet incredible local leaders, including CCBA President Tony Chuy and District Leader Justin Yu. pic.twitter.com/ZJhckq9fZJ

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 16, 2025

“China wants to interface with the DSA,” one New York-based political activist told a DSA China Working Group meeting on Oct. 8, according to the minutes. “If we develop a killer two-week itinerary, hire locals, and develop further connections with the CPC [Communist Party of China], then we’re golden.”

The minutes described participants urging the organization to steer clear of flashpoint issues for the Chinese government — including China’s threats to invade Taiwan, its security crackdown in Hong Kong, and abuses of Uyghur Muslims — while pursuing contacts linked to China’s ruling party.

Chinese officials were not present in the meetings themselves, Newsweek reported, but met with U.S. participants in China and encouraged “official exchanges.” That included an August 2025 trip to Guizhou where visitors were hosted by officials at a Communist Party school.

Internal discussions praised Code Pink’s advice to “stay out of the weeds” on sensitive China topics, minutes show. Separately, the minutes also quote a 2021 meeting participant saying claims that “one million Uyghurs [are] being brutalized in Xinjiang” are “an exaggeration.”

Newsweek said neither the DSA International Committee nor Mamdani’s New York City Hall responded to requests for comment. Mamdani was not recorded as attending any of the meetings in the materials reviewed.

Asked about contacts between the DSA, Mamdani’s administration and the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Newsweek that “local exchanges and cooperation” are “the important component of China-U.S. relations.”