• Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports contain hidden cellular modems, enabling potential espionage

• Fentanyl precursors from China fuel America’s deadly opioid crisis

• CCP-linked human rights abuses, including organ harvesting and persecution of dissidents, mirror California’s erosion of freedoms

Universities as CCP propaganda hubs

As California increasingly adopts policies reminiscent of Communist China—from oppressive COVID-19 mandates to rampant censorship—former Congresswoman Michelle Steel is sounding the alarm on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) deep infiltration of the state. In a recent interview with EpochTV’s “California Insider,” Steel detailed how Beijing’s influence has corrupted universities, compromised national security at major ports, and fueled the deadly fentanyl epidemic.

One of the most alarming revelations involves UC Berkeley, a once-prestigious institution now accused of covertly accepting $220 million from China without reporting it to the Department of Education, as required by law. The funds, intended for the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, allegedly granted Chinese officials exclusive access to advanced semiconductor research—technology critical to U.S. defense.

“Universities were the worst one,” Steel said. “Instead of teaching our kids how to think and how to be independent, some of the universities are brainwashing our kids.”

The CCP’s grip extends beyond academia. Universities, bloated with foreign cash, prioritize administrative expansion over student education, mirroring China’s top-down control of intellectual discourse. Meanwhile, students are fed CCP propaganda, conditioning them to accept authoritarianism—a trend already visible in California’s embrace of radical leftist ideologies.

Spy cranes and port security threats

California’s ports—Los Angeles and Long Beach—handle 80% of U.S. cargo, yet rely on Chinese-made cranes equipped with hidden cellular modems. These devices, not disclosed in contracts, could allow Beijing to track shipments, disrupt supply chains, and even spy on U.S. Navy movements.

“It’s a national security issue,” Steel warned. “We heard that they always ask for those cranes to be in remote areas because they put chips on them… they’re collecting all this data.”

China’s LOGINK software, used by allies like Japan and South Korea, further extends its surveillance reach. Despite bipartisan warnings, California’s leadership has done nothing to secure these vulnerabilities, leaving America exposed to economic sabotage and military espionage.

China’s fentanyl war on America

While China executes its own citizens for drug offenses, it floods the U.S. with fentanyl precursors, fueling an epidemic that killed nearly 8,000 Californians in 2023 alone. Steel revealed that cartels use remote-controlled surfboards to smuggle drugs across the border—a tactic enabled by China’s lax enforcement.

“When they use [fentanyl] inside of China, you have a death sentence. But [when it’s] taken outside of China, making money, they’re very loose,” Steel said.

The pandemic exposed the scale of China’s role: when pharmaceutical exports slowed, fentanyl deaths briefly declined—proof that Beijing could stop the crisis if it chose to. Instead, the CCP profits from America’s suffering while California’s leaders turn a blind eye.

Human rights abuses and California’s silent complicity

Steel also condemned the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur Muslims—victims of organ harvesting and forced labor. Yet California, home to sanctuary cities and rampant crime, increasingly mirrors China’s disregard for human dignity.

“You are trying to hide something. [That] means you are not doing the right thing,” Steel said of the CCP’s crackdown on dissident artists like Shen Yun.

Even U.S. citizens face intimidation from Chinese secret police operating on American soil. Witnesses at congressional hearings hide their identities, fearing retaliation against family members in China—an unthinkable reality in a nation that once stood for freedom.

Steel’s warnings come at a personal risk. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy cautioned her about CCP surveillance, advising firewalls and screen protectors to thwart hackers. Yet she remains undeterred, driven by her family’s escape from North Korea.

“I always stand up for the democracy of the country,” she said.

As California slides further into authoritarianism—embracing censorship, crushing small businesses, and surrendering to foreign influence — one question remains: Will America wake up before it’s too late, or will the Golden State become the CCP’s newest satellite colony?

Sources include:

Zerohedge.com

TheEpochTimes.com

House.gov [PDF]