Abstract
Chinese Government Lobbying in the United States: Sources, Characteristics, Effects
Erin Baggott Carter, University of Southern CaliforniaWhat is China’s lobbying strategy in the United States? How does that lobbying affect U.S. policy toward China and U.S. media coverage of China? To answer these questions, this project employs an original dataset of all Chinese lobbying in the United States coded from the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as well as original datasets of congressional activity toward China and media coverage of China in leading U.S. newspapers. The evidence suggests that Chinese lobbying has pivoted under Xi Jinping from traditional lobbying designed to secure economic interests toward a new strategy focused on improving China’s image in the U.S. Congress, the media, and academia. Preliminary analysis suggests that these efforts, which now constitute 80%–90% of Chinese lobbying, are effective.
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