Chinese Consulate Funds Protesters to Greet Communist Leader in San Francisco

As Xi Jinping arrived in San Francisco for his first visit to the United States in six years, the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco generously provided greeters with free hotel stays, flights, meals, and even hundreds of dollars according to some observers and screenshots of social media conversations. Many of the pro-Beijing demonstrators were seen wearing red caps, uniforms, and waving red flags, all signs closely associated with communism. At least one protester was a woman who appeared to have ties to the Chinese Consulate in New York, according to a dissident who had been following them. Many of these greeters were not local residents, and had been brought in from places across the United States. Participants earned as much as $200 per day during their welcome of Xi Jinping ahead of the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. It has been confirmed that such demonstrators were influenced and financed by the Chinese Consulate funding. Another verifier confirmed that Chinese authorities had also sent a reporter from China to be present in San Francisco during the visit. However, protests also took place against the visit of Xi Jinping, with some activists making efforts to voice their concerns and using the opportunity to speak up.



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