A new state bill would force foreign-controlled agents to identify themselves, cutting off a channel Beijing exploits
The Battle No One Is Watching That Everyone Should Be
The Chinese Communist Party wages its campaign to undermine American democracy not only through cyberattacks and espionage, but through the mundane, daily work of lobbying. In state capitals across America, in legislative committees and policy briefings and regulatory hearings, individuals and organizations with undisclosed ties to Beijing and other hostile foreign governments are working to shape American policy in ways that serve the CCP’s interests. Alabama is now fighting back. House Bill 358, currently advancing through the Alabama legislature, would require foreign agents operating in the state to register and disclose their principals, making transparent what has too long operated in shadow. Joe Gebbia, Sr., founder and chief executive of State Shield, a non-partisan organization focused on countering hostile foreign influence in state and local governments, made the case for the bill in a March 2026 op-ed that should be read by legislators in every state capital in America.
The Gap in the Law the CCP Has Been Exploiting
Federal law already requires agents of foreign governments to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. But FARA enforcement has historically been uneven, and the federal framework leaves significant gaps at the state level. In Alabama, as in most states, there is no clear, consistent requirement for lobbyists representing foreign-government-controlled entities to disclose those relationships to state lawmakers. This gap is not an accident from the CCP’s perspective. It is an opportunity. Gebbia documents the core problem plainly: when lobbyists conceal ties to foreign governments, elected officials cannot judge the true motivation behind the policy proposals being pitched to them. A lobbyist arguing for a specific infrastructure contract, technology standard, or trade arrangement may be advancing the interests of a Chinese state-owned enterprise without any obligation to say so.
What HB358 Actually Does
The bill is deliberately focused on transparency rather than prohibition. It does not ban foreign lobbying. It does not prohibit lawful advocacy. It does not restrict speech. It requires disclosure. Lobbyists representing entities controlled by foreign governments, including China, Russia, Iran, and other designated hostile states, would be required to register with Alabama, just as campaign donors and political committees already disclose their interests. This is, as Gebbia notes, the minimum standard. Sunlight does not stop every threat, but it makes it far harder for hostile regimes to quietly rent a voice in a state legislature. The bill had already cleared the Alabama House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee, a meaningful procedural step forward.
Alabama Universities and the China Money Trail
The foreign influence concern in Alabama is not hypothetical. Reporting by 1819 News has documented that Alabama’s public universities collectively received nearly $191 million in foreign source funding, with China among the top contributors. Troy University’s foreign contributions were almost entirely from Chinese government sources, including the Confucius Institute network, which the US Department of Defense has flagged as a vehicle for CCP influence operations. These are not distant or abstract threats. They are investments that foreign governments make precisely because they expect a return, measured in policy access, cultural influence, and, over time, political leverage.
The Broader National Stakes
Alabama is not alone in this vulnerability. The US Department of Justice FARA enforcement resources show the scale of the challenge at the federal level, but the state-level gap remains largely unaddressed. The House Select Committee on the CCP has documented in its work the extensive network of CCP-affiliated influence operations across American institutions. For the pro-democracy community, bills like HB358 are not paranoid measures. They are long-overdue recognitions that the CCP operates an extensive, sophisticated, and well-funded campaign to shape American policy in ways that serve Beijing’s interests and undermine the freedoms that both Americans and Hong Kongers are trying to protect. The CCP’s foreign influence operations extend to the Chinese diaspora community, to academic institutions, to think tanks, and to legislative processes at every level of government. Transparency is the essential first line of defense. Alabama’s HB358 should become a model for every state that takes seriously its obligation to protect democratic governance from covert foreign manipulation. The world’s democracies owe it to themselves, and to the people of Hong Kong who have already seen what happens when the CCP’s influence goes unchallenged, to close these gaps before they are fully exploited.
Yee Man Au
Community & Human Rights Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: yeeman.au@appledaily.uk
Yee Man Au is a community and human rights journalist with professional experience reporting on civil liberties, grassroots advocacy, and social inequality within Chinese-speaking communities. She received her journalism education from a highly regarded Chinese journalism school, where she was trained in ethical reporting, interview methodology, and source verification, with a strong emphasis on public-interest journalism.
Her reporting career includes contributions to Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese newspapers, where she covered housing rights, labor disputes, migrant issues, and community organizing efforts. Yee Man’s work is grounded in firsthand interviews and on-site reporting, ensuring that affected voices are accurately represented rather than abstracted.
She brings practical newsroom experience in handling sensitive subject matter, including working with vulnerable sources and navigating ethical constraints. Editors value her disciplined approach to fact-checking and her ability to corroborate claims through multiple independent sources.
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At Apple Daily UK, Yee Man Au contributes reliable, experience-based journalism that prioritizes accuracy, dignity, and the public record.
