California Treasurer Fiona Ma (D) is facing renewed scrutiny after a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation alleged she met dozens of times with Chinese government officials and individuals tied to Chinese Communist Party influence and intelligence operations.
According to the report, Ma — currently viewed as the frontrunner in California’s 2026 lieutenant governor race — participated in meetings, trade delegations, award ceremonies, and cultural events involving officials connected to China’s United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that U.S. officials have repeatedly warned engages in foreign influence and intelligence-related activities abroad:
“We really should be more integrated,” Ma said during a 2023 interview with state-run media outlet CGTN. “The more that we can get along, work together, I think would create more peace in the world as well as better economic opportunities for both countries.”
“CCP elite capture is alive and well,” Peter Schweizer, New York Times bestselling author of “Red Handed,” told the DCNF. “Any politician who continues to engage in these types of behavior is not a target, but is complicit in CCP activities. Ignorance is no longer an excuse.”
Ma’s ties to China recently came under scrutiny following an April Politico report revealing that in September 2023 she offered to help secure U.S. internships and employment opportunities for students attending the Pegasus California School, which was founded in the coastal city of Qingdao by Ma’s campaign finance committee chair. Pegasus’ students, who are Chinese nationals, have allegedly received unlawful California high school diplomas through a partnership with the Val Verde Unified School District, according to a 2026 Riverside County Office of Education audit of the district, which did not accuse Ma of wrongdoing.
Ma did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Recent reporting also claims that Ma helped coordinate trips to China for California lawmakers beginning in the late 1990s during her time as an aide to former California Democratic Sen. John Burton. According to the report, she continued engaging regularly with Chinese government representatives throughout her political career. The piece further noted her participation in events alongside officials tied to the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, another organization U.S. counterintelligence officials have described as part of China’s broader influence network.
Backers of the California Democrat have argued that her meetings and interactions with Chinese officials were standard diplomatic and trade-related efforts, reflecting California’s longstanding economic relationship with China.
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