A family linked to an alleged Chinese spy donated $4.4 million to Newsom, other California politicians; who is Fang Fang?

A California family that has donated more than $4.4 million to political causes, including campaigns associated with Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, is facing scrutiny over alleged ties to Chinese government officials and suspected Chinese spy Fang Fang, according to a CBS News report.

The Yin family, a prolific political donor, reportedly built its wealth through McDonald’s franchises in California.

Now, files released by the FBI mention a past professional association between family patriarch Chei Chen Yin, known as CC Yin, and Fang, also known as Christine Fang.

FBI files describe Fang as the point of contact for Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA), an organization founded by CC Yin and his brother Henry Yin.

Read also | Who is Fang Fang? Alleged Chinese spy had ‘sexual fling’ with former lawmaker Swalwell

The Yin family donated more than $4.4 million

According to California state and Federal Election Commission records cited by CBS News, the Yin family has donated nearly $3 million to state political causes and another $1.455 million to federal campaigns, either directly or through CC Yin’s McDonald’s franchise store.

The donations include $364,817 to campaigns supporting Newsom, $80,000 to his 2019 inaugural committee and $50,000 to a Newsom-led nonprofit.

The family also donated $221,700 to the campaigns of California Governor Eleni Kounalakis from 2018 to 2025, while Harris’ campaigns from 2019 to 2024 raised $214,300. Former California State Treasurer John Chiang’s campaigns received $115,680, the report said.

CC Yin, 89, is known in Northern California for his philanthropy and building a successful franchise business after coming to the US from China in the 1960s.

He and Henry Yin founded APAPA, which says its work includes helping young people and community members develop leadership skills, understand government and participate in democracy.

CC Yin told CBS News that he created the organization to help community members get involved in American civic life.

Read also | Kamala Harris vs Gavin Newsom in 2028? Here’s what the governor of California had to say

FBI files point to a Fang connection

Fang was linked to former California congressman Eric Swalwell, with whom she had a sexual relationship before fleeing to China in 2015.

FBI files declassified by the White House in August include interviews with Swalwell from 2015 and 2016. In those interviews, Swalwell identified Fang as his point of contact for APAPA and said he was referred to her by a senior APAPA official.

The official’s name is redacted in the files, but two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that the person was CC Yin.

Fang also appeared alongside CC Yin and Henry Yin at an APAPA event in 2013, according to a photo posted on Facebook by a Cupertino city official.

APAPA President Kris Concepcion told CBS News that the organization’s current leadership is not aware of Fang ever holding an official role in the national organization.

Henry Yin announced the Chinese meetings

CBS News also reported that Henry Yin has attended 10 events in China organized by Chinese government officials and the United Front since 2013, citing Chinese media reports.

The United Front has released reports of some of his meetings, including a visit to Baoshan, Yunnan Province in 2015, where Yin reportedly met with officials of the city’s United Front Work Department Party Committee.

One Chinese government release described Yin as the designated contact for California-China economic, trade, scientific and technological interaction.

Another report in 2013 stated that Yin was offered the position of “Overseas Talent Recruitment Consultant for Sichuan Province”.

A 2023 United Front statement said a delegation of Chinese Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Henry Yin, visited Chengdu and sought to strengthen investment cooperation between the city and Silicon Valley.

Henry Yin described his activities to the East Bay Times in 2016 as networking aimed at strengthening US-China trade relations.

National security experts told CBS News that such relationships could be part of Chinese influence operations, but also warned that the activities described could have legitimate business or diplomatic purposes.

Links to Newsom, Khanna

The Yin family’s political and Chinese ties also intersected with high-ranking California politicians.

CC Yin was promised by an organization connected to him to help arrange Newsom’s visit to China in 2023. Henry Yin accompanied Newsom as an adviser during the October 2023 trip, when the governor reportedly met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Henry Yin also served as an adviser to California Congressman Ro Khanna, who is a CCP member of the House Select Committee.

CC Yin and Henry Yin have personally donated $15,800 to Khan’s congressional campaigns since 2017.

Khanna’s public statements and those of his spokesperson differed on Henry Yin’s role. In a 2019 Facebook post, Khanna described Yin as his “senior advisor on foreign trade and economic development”, while a 2020 post called him a “good friend”.

Yin’s LinkedIn profile until this month listed him as a senior advisor to Khanna as of 2019. The profile has since been deleted.

Khanna’s spokesperson told the New York Post that Yin has never held a formal role with the congressman.

Meanwhile, APAPA’s Concepcion said the organization has “no relationship with the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party or the United Front” and that members’ personal travel, relationships and work histories should not be attributed to the organization.

Who is the ‘Chinese spy’ Fang Fang

Fang Fang has come under US scrutiny for alleged efforts to build relationships with US politicians and political figures. Before leaving the US for China in 2015, she was linked to former California congressman Eric Swalwell, with whom she had a sexual relationship.

FBI files released this August also reportedly identified her as a point of contact for Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA), an organization founded by CC Yin and his brother Henry Yin.