‘We’re literally falling apart’: Asian-American conservatives feeling the sting of Cindy Yang affair, founder of Republican group says
- Allegations by left-leaning US lawmakers have undone an effort to encourage political engagement within the community, Cliff Zhonggang Li says
- Selfie with Trump put massage parlour owner Yang in the spotlight, sparking inquiries into her courting of Chinese clients seeking access to president’s family
Over a bowl of grits in a South Florida cafe, a short drive from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort – the epicentre of media scrutiny into influence peddling campaigns targeting the US president – Cliff Zhonggang Li gave a lesson in ancient Chinese history.
He told the story of Yue Fei, a storied general of the Southern Song dynasty, who was executed in 1142 on the orders of a corrupt minister despite having led a successful military campaign against invading northern armies.
In the 900 years since Yue’s death, the minister’s response when asked to justify his decision to execute Yue – mo xu you, or “no need [for evidence]” – has entered the Chinese lexicon as an idiom to refer to “trumped-up charges”.
It’s a saying that 53-year-old Li, who founded and runs a political committee representing the interests of Asian-American conservatives, uses a lot.
Left-leaning lawmakers and media outlets were committing mo xu you today, he said, by alleging nefarious connections between individuals in the Chinese-American population and Beijing’s influence and information-gathering campaigns.
Li said it was taking its toll on the community, with his own committee’s activity dwindling to a stop.
