(June 10, 2007)

New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), with its headquarters in New York City (NYC), will host the International Chinese Classical Dance Competition (NTDTV's Dance Competition, for short below) at New York University from July 6 to 8 in 2007. [1] Due to the independent and outspoken nature of NTDTV, as well as its long-term focus on human rights issues in China, including the persecution of Falun Gong, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has spared no effort to interfere with NTDTV's events. On April 25, 2007, China Net published a letter by the Chinese Anti-Cult Association to the Chinese Dancer Association, defaming NTDTV and its Dance Competition. [2] On April 30, the CCP's mouthpiece website Xinhua Net published an article entitled "What Sort of Dance Competition Is NTDTV Able to Host?" However, the article was taken off almost immediately with only the title left. [3] On June 8, Xinhua Net published another slanderous article entitled "The Story Behind NTDTV's Dance Competition". [4]

In the meantime, the Chinese Culture Club at New York University (NYUCCC, also called the NYU Chinese Student and Scholar Association in Chinese) actively cooperated with the CCP regime. On the same day of Xinhua Net's June 8 article, it started a signature campaign to oppose NTDTV's Dance Competition on the NYU campus. The petition letter was posted on NYUCCC's website in both Chinese [5] and English.[6] In this particular case, NYUCCC has directly executed the persecution policy of the CCP in a foreign country. This investigation report reveals how CCP controls local Chinese Student and Scholar Associations (CSSA) through Chinese embassy and consulates.

Chinese Consuls Assume the Role of Advisors to CSSA's

CSSA's are comprised of mainland Chinese students and scholars outside of China. At present, the organization exists in at least 12 countries. In the U.S. alone, there are at least 109 such associations. [7]

Chinese consuls are listed as part of the advisory board on many universities' CSSA websites. For example, two of the three members on the Advisory Board of the CSSA in Columbia University are from the Chinese Consulate General in New York: they are Fanglin Ai, the consul in charge of educational affairs, and Da Yao, the educational consul assigned to NYC and Long Island. [8]

CSSA Activities Funded by Chinese Consulates

CSSA's are usually registered as non-profit organizations, and their funds come from donations and sponsorships. Significant portions of the sponsorship originates from the Chinese Consulate General. The CSSA in Case Western Reserve University obtained $1,170 from the Chinese Consulate General in NY during the 2006/2007 school year, amounting to one third of its annual income. [9] The CSSA of Staffordshire in England wrote in its charter that "presently our funding mainly comes from Chinese Embassy, the school and commercial donations from society." [10]

CSSA Implements the CCP's Policies in the U.S. Under the Influence of the Consulates

The CSSA has become a powerful and well-organized group under the CCP's leadership. Taking advantage of its student status, the CSSA is able to express the stances of the CCP that the communist regime may not feel comfortable bringing up itself. The CSSA also helps to export abusive human rights policies.[11] The CSSA also organizes its members to welcome Chinese communist leaders during their state visits, and in the course of doing so, they serve to block and mislead protest groups. Through their activities to assist the CCP to suppress groups, organizations and individuals that the CCP considers enemies, the CSSA has become an extended persecution arm of the CCP on foreign soil. We will give a few examples below:

Organizing Teams to Welcome High-Ranking Chinese Communist Leaders On October 16, 2002, the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars (FACSS) sent a contract to all CSSA's of its member schools, requiring those overseas Chinese students who planned to welcome Jiang Zemin to sign a contract, saying that he or she will give up the right to protest with other groups to express their views and opinions.

The contract was written in English as follows:

(Dear all,

In order to protect the purity of our Welcome Team, in order to protect us to avoid future harassing calls. Please sign this legal statement and turn in to your group leader. Anybody who is against this agreement will be sued by our organization immediately.

Many thanks for your cooperation

FACSS

PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

Group X invites _______________ to be a member in the Welcoming Group. In consideration for this invitation, I agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the Welcoming Group. I also agree if any disturbances are caused by me (e.g. protest against the United States and/or President of China) to pay $5,000.00 as minimal damages for any harm that may result from such disturbances to the group's reputation. Also, in regards to disturbances, I agree that if any another group such as, Fa Lun GUNG, contact us or we become aware of any threats of disturbance by any other groups, I agree to contact the group leaders of the Welcome Group as well as the proper authorities.

We understand it is our right to protest with any other groups our views and opinions, but in becoming an active member in the Welcome Group, we voluntarily waive any such rights. )

FACSS claimed in the email it sent out that if any signatory violated the contract, he or she would immediately be sued by the group.

Organized Protest Against the Canadian Independent Investigators' Forum on CCP Harvesting Organs from Living Falun Gong Practitioners

Recently, when Canadian independent investigators informed the public in the U.S. and Europe about their findings on the CCP harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, there were always organized Chinese students protesting inside and outside of the meeting room. For example, they were present at a press conference and a forum entitled "Invisible Killings: Exposing the CCP Harvesting Organs of Falun Gong Practitioners Alive" was held on April 16, 2007 at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, where the world's largest organ transplant center is located. It was sponsored jointly by 13 student organizations including the University of Pittsburgh branch of Amnesty International, Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of the University of Pittsburgh's Law School, Liberty in North Korea (LINK) and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Carnegie Mellon University, and Big Straw - an Asian American interests magazine. They were also at another forum entitled "China's New Genocide" held in Columbia University on April 20. [12]

Before the forum at Columbia University started, Columbia University's CSSA (CUCSSA) sent out an e-mail, urging Chinese students to stage an on-site protest. The e-mail blatantly stated that "We will use a sea of flags, dyed with blood ". [13] After the event, 25 universities' CSSA's in the greater New York area published open letters to support the CUCSSA's actions. The open letter was immediately reprinted by Xinhua Net to give the impression that the suppression of Falun Gong has received "oversea support". [14] The CSSA Has Participated in the Chinese Embassy and Consulates' Anti-Falun Gong Activities for Years

In the afternoon of March 19, 2001, Zhang Hongxi, the Consul-General of the PRC in NY held an anti-Falun Gong forum in Columbus University. About sixty members of the CSSA from various institutions in the New York area attended the forum. During the meeting, the CSSA Chairman of Greater New York Zhang Kuan and others initiated a proposal to suppress Falun Gong. [15]

In its recent petition letter, NYUCCC cited in red ink a paragraph in the regulation section of NTDTV's Dance Competition, which reads: "Since the Communist Party is outlawed in the United States, all songs and music that eulogize the Communist Party will be prohibited during this competition. Contestants might want to send their dance music to the Judge's Committee for assessment in order to avoid unnecessary problems." After the quote, NYUCCC used a familiar tactic that the CCP has employed in the past of equating China and the Communist Party: "It's obvious that this dance competition is against China. It has a political agenda of subverting the People's Republic of China. Once held, it will have a very bad impact on all Chinese students studying at NYU, as well as all Chinese students studying in the U.S.." The reality is, the banning of pro-Communist music has nothing to do with Chinese students studying abroad. The CCP doesn't represent all Chinese people, and the NYUCCC cannot speak for all Chinese students.

[1] http://dance.ntdtv.com/web/?q=en/front

[2] www.china.com.cn 2007-04-26

[3] Xinhua Net 's Current Political Affair Channel: Fast News 2007-04-30

[4] "Story Behind NTDTV's Dance Competition", Xinhua Net, 2007-06-08

[5] NYUCCC website

[6] NYUCCC petition

[7] http://www.cnd.org/CSSA/usa-map/html

[8] http://www.cucssa.org/advisory.asp, http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/chn/jysw/jyzjs/glsfg/default.htm

[9] http://filer.case.edu/org/cssa/NewsLetter/CSSA_2006-2007_Newletter_9.pdf

[10] http://www.cssa-staffs.org.uk/forums/archiver/?tid-575.html

[11] Dear Chairmans of CSSA:

The Consulate General has assigned you the following important tasks:

We've learned recently that Congressman from Florida Peter Deutsch is trying to persuade all House of Representatives and Senators in US to co-sign a letter, supporting Chen Shui-bian's so-called "defensive referendum", which was to be held on March 20. We request you to use the name of fraternity, to call for as many Chinese students and scholars as possible, to write e-mails to their respective Congressmen and Senators, not to support Chen Shui-bian's wrongful act, as it will hurt Chinese people's feeling. (I have attached sample letters for your reference. You could modify them as needed, but pay attention to your tone in the e-mail; I've also attached the contact information of the addressee.)

You must finish the task by March 20 and you should e-mail me about your status on March 16. (In particular, you should inform me of how many individuals have participated.)

We hope that everyone will show your patriotism and strong wish of Chinese people longing for a peaceful unification of our homeland!

Zhang Zhigang

March 12, 2004

(Note: Zhang Zhigang is the Education Consul at the Chicago Consulate General of the PRC)

[12] http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-4-28/54666.html

[13] NTDTV has footage covering the entire forum.

[14] "Chinese Students in the U.S. Wrote Open Letter to Protest Against Falun Gong Damaging China's Image", www.Chinaqw.com.cn, May 21, 2007

[15] "Chinese Students and Scholars in the New York Area Held Forum to Expose and Criticize Falun Gong", by reporter Gong Wenmo, www.Chinanews.com.cn, March 19, 2001

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