Sriram Natarajan

If you're wondering why Alysa Liu and her father Arthur faced targeted espionage and recruitment drives by the CCP on American soil, I can explain: It stems from the CCP's ethno-nationalist philosophy that views all people of Chinese descent - regardless of citizenship or generations removed - as part of the "Chinese nation" (中华民族 - zhonghua minzu), bound by blood and heritage. This "once Chinese, always Chinese" mindset equates ethnic identity with loyalty to the party-state. It's why special vitriol is reserved for those with Chinese heritage who are critical about the CCP (like me and many others). Under Xi Jinping, this has only intensified: overseas Chinese are seen as key to the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" tasked with "telling China's story well," integrating into host societies to advance Beijing's geopolitical goals, and serving as "grassroots ambassadors." The Chinese authorities hoped Alysa Liu would follow the path of Eileen Gu, who was successfully recruited to compete for China and has since fulfilled her role in "telling China's story well" - amplifying Beijing's preferred narrative on the global stage through her athletic achievements, high profile presence and dutiful avoidance of saying anything negative about China. The tactics used to co-opt the diaspora include: > incentives / networks (offered to both Eileen & Alysa) > monitoring and control (used on Alysa & her dad) > coercion (used on Alysa's dad) In Alysa's case, she was subjected to surveillance and espionage not only because she refused to join Team China, but also because her father, Arthur Liu, was a Tiananmen-era dissident who fled to the United States. The CCP goes to great lengths to surveil and intimidate Chinese dissidents living abroad. Alysa Liu's qualification for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics heightened the sensitivity of the situation as the Party sought to ensure that her and her father remain silent on political matters and human rights abuses while in China. Ultimately, the regime sees them, despite being Americans, as assets and extensions of the Chinese nation who must align with its interests. This is strikingly analogous to the Islamic concept of the ummah - a transnational community united by a profound shared identity that transcends national borders. In Islam, the ummah represents the global fellowship of believers, bound by faith, mutual solidarity, and a sense of collective brotherhood. It often fosters a loyalty to the broader Muslim community that can supersede - or at least rival - allegiance to any single state. While both concepts inspire deep transnational cohesion, the ummah arises organically from religious teachings and remains largely decentralized (though often weaponized by imams or government leaders for political goals) whereas the CCP's framework is state-directed, instrumental, and backed by organized mechanisms of influence and control. Liberal societies need to understand this is how the CCP operates.