WASHINGTON — A manufacturing magnate suspected of helping the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wage economic war on the US has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic Senate candidates, campaign finance records reveal.
Pin Ni, the president of Illinois-based Wanxiang America Corporation, gave $7,000 to the campaigns of Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
While federal law limits individual donations to $3,500 per campaign, Pin gave to each of the four Democrats’ primary and general election runs for a total of $28,000 in contributions.
So far this cycle, Pin has donated $63,000 to sitting senators and candidates, mainly to Democrats — including a pair of unsuccessful Senate contenders: Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.). He also donated $7,000 each to the Democratic Senate nominee from the Land of Lincoln, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, as well as retiring Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.)
The most recent donation from Pin, made Aug. 10, went to Pappas — who is favored to keep the seat held by the retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in Democratic hands.
Pappas currently has a two-percentage point lead over his likely Republican opponent, former Sen. John Sununu, in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.
Wanxiang America is a subsidiary of Wanxiang Group Corporation, which is based in the Chinese city of Hangzhou and is the Asian power’s largest manufacturer of auto parts. Lu Guanqiu, who founded Wanxiang in 1969, was posthumously recognized by the CCP as an outstanding member in 2021.
After Lu’s death in 2017, control of Wanxiang passed to his son, Lu Weiding, and his son-in-law, Pin, who founded Wanxiang America in 1994.
In 2014, Wanxiang America bought the assets of bankrupt electric car maker Fisker Automotive for $149.2 million. A year earlier, the company snapped up battery maker A123 Systems for $257 million, despite concerns raised by lawmakers who A123 had developed its technology using US government grants.
The Wanxiang Group described Pin as a “member of the Communist Party of China,” according to a translated document first reported by the Washington Free Beacon. Lu Weiding also described Pin as one of “seven Party Committee members” in a 2018 speech, the outlet reported.
In July of this year, Wanxiang Group celebrated the CCP’s 105th anniversary, saying in a statement that it “listens to the Party, follows the Party’s lead, holds high the banner, and prioritizes Party building.”
Federal immigration law imposes restrictions on those who have “been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party.”
Last year, Pin donated thousands of dollars to Democratic gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, drawing scrutiny.
“The donor, Pin Ni, has an extensive history of assisting the CCP’s political warfare and influence operations upon the U.S., and of generally aligning with and carrying out party commands,” Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, a group that promotes policies to combat the CCP, told The Post at the time.
None of the four Democrats’ campaigns responded to requests for comment. Attempts to contact Pin were unsuccessful.
