The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a growing political force, with 120,000 members, connections to the mayor of New York City, and seven Democratic candidates running for House seats in November.
The DSA calls for the replacement of capitalism with “democratic socialism”—a label that opponents, including President Donald Trump, dismiss as a fig-leaf for Marxism and communism.
The records reviewed for this article describe DSA members’ contacts with Chinese party-state institutions and public statements about China.
A June 2025 video featuring a DSA leader includes the statement that China is “an incredible positive vision of socialism for everyone around the world.” According to Friends of Socialist China’s own materials, a dozen DSA members have signed a statement supporting the “continued survival of Chinese socialism.”
Records reviewed for this article also describe travel to China by several individuals affiliated with DSA and attendance at events organized or hosted by Chinese state or Chinese Communist Party bodies.
Such activities raise several important questions, said Scott McGregor, a former Canadian intelligence official.
These include “who paid for these trips, who arranged the meetings, what was discussed, and whether Chinese officials had any say in the messages shared afterward,” he said.
McGregor’s comments were general. He did not say he had information that Anlin Wang, Dee Knight, Ahmed Husain, or any other person mentioned in this article acted on behalf of the Chinese regime. The records reviewed do not show that any of these individuals acted on behalf of the Chinese regime.
Speaking generally about how China can build influence over time, McGregor told The Epoch Times: “Beijing doesn’t need to recruit spies or control politicians. Building relationships with people who may eventually help shape American policy can be just as valuable,” he said.
Discussing the issue generally, he said that while there’s nothing wrong with having different political beliefs, there’s a “big difference” between supporting socialism and advocating for the agenda of a foreign government.
He also spoke generally about how political activists may affect public opinion: “When American political activists praise China’s system while overlooking issues like human rights abuses, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or the treatment of minorities, they may be helping Beijing shape public opinion,” he said. “This can be especially effective because the message comes from Americans rather than Chinese government officials.”
China Working Group
By early 2021, the DSA’s International Committee had established a China Working Group. The records reviewed do not show that the China Working Group as a whole traveled to China or participated in events organized or hosted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or local government entities. Instead, the records identify travel and event participation by particular individuals associated with DSA. They include a Socialist Forum article, state media reports, and an account from the CCP International Department.
The group stated its plan to “develop actions, statements, and political education.”
Anlin Wang, a Philadelphia DSA member who later became a coordinator of the China Working Group, was designated as a co-chair of the committee’s Asia and Oceania subcommittee, according to a quarterly report in 2021.
In October 2025, the DSA publication, Socialist Forum, said Wang and Dee Knight had traveled to China with three other DSA members as a “five-person self-organized delegation.”
Knight, also a DSA member, wrote the post-trip article for Socialist Forum, which includes a disclaimer on its website that its articles do not necessarily represent the organization’s official position.
Knight’s article places the delegation in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, during a major commemoration in China marking 80 years since the end of World War II.
McGregor said generally that trips like these can raise concerns because they may be among the tools the Chinese regime uses to build political relationships and advance its interests.
Speaking generally, he said, all it takes for the regime is “building friendships, arranging trips, and encouraging people to speak positively about China,” he said. When these people return home, they can “help spread Beijing’s message without even realizing they’re doing it,” he said.
Before reaching Beijing, at least part of the group traveled through Guizhou, a province in southwestern China, according to the article.
During the Guizhou visit, Wang took part in a program that included an Aug. 26 commemoration in Guiyang, the provincial capital, according to state-run media outlet Guizhou Radio and Television. The outlet said the Aug. 24–29 program brought foreign guests to Guiyang and Qinglong and identified Wang as a “representative of the Democratic Socialists of America.”
A separate report by state-run Guiyang Daily said an Aug. 26 event was jointly hosted by the Guizhou Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and the Guizhou Red Cross. About 80 people attended, including descendants of foreign medical workers, scholars, and a delegation from Friends of Socialist China.
The group’s own materials describe it as an international group that promotes “understanding of Chinese socialism.” Those materials also include a statement calling for support for the “continued survival of Chinese socialism,” which a dozen DSA members have signed.
DSA, Knight, and Wang did not respond to requests for additional information about how the China visits were organized and financed. The records reviewed do not show who paid for the visits or establish that any Chinese regime institution paid for them.
From Guizhou to New York
Knight wrote that he participated in another Guizhou program in November 2024 after being invited as part of a delegation of “international media and think tanks” to attend a “China in Sight, Global Insight” forum in Guiyang. He said staff from the provincial foreign-affairs department called the group “VIPs” and identified Du Xinlei, deputy chief of European and American affairs at the Guizhou Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, as “our host.”
The International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee said the forum was organized by the department and the CCP’s Guizhou Provincial Committee. More than 200 people from 50 countries attended, including representatives of political parties, think tanks, businesses, and media.
Knight wrote that after several days in Guizhou, “our hosts transported us by air” to Shanxi Province. His group visited Taiyuan and Datong before continuing to Beijing.
His account does not identify who paid for his international travel, lodging, meals, or other expenses, or which institution issued his individual invitation.
The CCP International Department’s account identifies the organizers of the Guiyang forum but does not name Knight or disclose expenses provided to individual foreign participants.
In June 2025, a Guizhou delegation traveled to New York.
A DSA-affiliated Instagram post shows Ahmed Husain, a member of the DSA’s 25-strong national leadership committee, addressing a crowd at the June 2025 gathering in New York City, described as a reception welcoming a delegation from Guizhou.
According to the video accompanying the DSA-affiliated Instagram post, Husain described DSA’s work in housing, labor unions, and elections and praised China as a model of socialism.
The post also promoted a June 7 event on building “Peace and Solidarity with China” with Knight scheduled to appear and Wang joining remotely.
The post did not identify the Chinese visitors or their official titles, the reception venue, the organization that arranged their U.S. visit, or who paid for it.
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