Chinese community leader who publicly praised China’s “overseas police stations” defends Toronto businessman investigated over CCP’s political interference
China’s “overseas police stations” feel like “the warmth from the mother’s family,” said the community leader.
A Chinese community leader in Toronto claims Canadian journalist Sam Cooper’s report about China’s allegedly having funded 11 Canadian candidates through a local businessman “baseless,” defending Wei Chengyi 魏成义, the subject of investigations involving China’s political interference in Canada.
Weng Guoning 翁国宁, a high-profile Chinese Canadian who holds top positions over several community organizations, made this claim in an interview with CC Media News), a Chinese-language website in Canada.
In the interview conducted on Nov. 17, 2022, Weng expressed his opinion regarding Cooper’s report. He said,
“I’ve been in charge of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO) since early 2019, but I have never heard or known of anything about someone "acting as an intermediary" and "transferring about $250,000" (to Canadian candidates) as stated in the news report.
If there were such a thing, I, as the de facto manager of the CTCCO, would have known of it, so this report is baseless. It’s not based on facts.”
In the interview, Weng also claimed the fact that some media called the CTCCO a “pro-Beijing organization” to be an “ideological bias”.
He warns,
“No matter who you are, never ever doubt the Chinese community’s love and loyalty to Canada.”
Wei, the businessman at the storm eye of the CCP political interference investigations, was also interviewed by the same website. He claimed Cooper’s report to be “total nonsense”. When being asked about the alleged “transferring C$250,000” as an “intermediary,” Wei said these claims were “not facts” and were “fabricated.”
Weng Guoning 翁国宁: a Canadian who publicly praises China’s “overseas police stations” and has met the top leader of the CCP’s United Front Work Department
Weng and Wei have similar resumes:
They are both top leaders of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO). Weng is the current Chairman, while Wei is the Permanent Honorary Chairman.
CTCCO is an umbrella organization in Ontario that has been repeatedly reported as a Beijing-allied group.They were both born in Fuqing County, Fujian province, China before they immigrated to Canada.
They are both Permanent Hournary Chairmen of the Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association (CTFQBA).
CTFQBA is established under the guidance of the CCP's United Front Work Department (UFWD), says its official website.
CTFQBA’s address, 220 Royal Crest Ct Unit 1, Markham, ON L3R 9Y2, is the same as one of China’s “overseas police stations” in the Greater Toronto Area, according to a report by human rights organization Safeguard Defenders.
But Weng has something more noteworthy than Wei, according to Chinese-language media: he has publicly praised China’s “overseas police stations,” and has met with the top leader of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC) 中国侨联, a peak organization in the CCP’s UFWD network that aims to influence the overseas Chinese.
There is a report on Mar. 22, 2022, on the website of ACFROC, headlined “I feel the warmth from the mother’s family: an interview with Weng Guoning, chairman of CTCCO.”
Weng said in the report,
“In January, the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau took the lead in China in opening the "Overseas 110" police service station, which is dedicated to accepting overseas Chinese of Fuzhou origin to provide police services. In March, the Fuzhou "Overseas 110" service station also launched the "One Code, Six Offices" household administration service for overseas Chinese, which facilitates overseas Chinese to apply for resident ID cards and household registration services remotely.
As a member of overseas Chinese of Fujian origin, I deeply feel the warmth from my "mother's family". With this warmth, we are honored and encouraged to witness the development and participate in the construction of our hometown as owners.”
Wan Lijun 万立骏, chairman of the ACFROC, has met with Weng several times. The most recent meet found was on Oct. 16, 2020, at an exhibition event in Beijing to commemorate Overseas Chinese’s contribution to Combat the Covid-19 Pandemic.
At the event, Wan gave a speech thanking all the overseas Chinese for their help in combating China’s Covid pandemic under the leadership of the CCP leader Xi Jinping.
The first part of the exhibition was headlined, “Rapid Response and Extensive Mobilization”. Combined with the ACFROC’s proposal letter issued on Jan. 26, 2020, calling on all overseas Chinese to donate PPE to China, this could possibly serve as proof that China’s international PPE stockpiling in the early stage of the pandemic in 2020 was an orchestrated campaign with Beijing in the centre and had mobilized overseas Chinese all over the globe.
The exhibition event was held at the Chinese Overseas Chinese History Museum in Beijing, China, an organization under the ACFROC. A few weeks earlier on Sept. 23 at the same location, Weng was granted the title of “Advisor” to that museum.
Another meeting between Weng and Wang was in June 2019, at the 17th ASEAN Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference and the first Belt and Road Initiative Overseas Chinese Associations Forum in Kunming, China.
Wei Chengyi was also there, but he didn’t have a group photo with Wan, the chairman of ACFROC.
Bonus photos of Weng’s other activities:
Weng attended the grand dinner party in 2018 celebrating the 69th anniversary of the CCP’s ruling of mainland China.
In April 2019, Weng (middle in the front row) and Wei (7th from left in the front row) attended the inauguration ceremony of the Tibetan Association of Canada with Ontario MPP Vincent Ke 柯文彬 (11th from left in the front row).
The Tibetan Association of Canada is said to be a front for the Communist Party of China (CCP) as it publicly supports Beijing's control of Tibet, according to a report by the National Post. The event also attracted great media attention because a congratulatory letter the organization claimed to be issued by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, was later found to be fake.
Han Tao 韩涛 (3rd left), China’s Consul-General in Toronto, visited the CTCCO office during the 2019 Chinese New Year. Weng (1st left) and Wei (2nd right) greeted Han in Chinese traditional costume.
Weng (1st left) and Han Tao, China’s Consul-General in Toronto, flew China’s national flag at the Ontario Parliament Building to celebrate the CCP’s 70th anniversary of ruling mainland China.
In August 2019, Weng (7th from left), Wei (2nd from left), and Ontario MPP Michael Chan (9th from left) held a rally to denounce the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and expressed their support for the Hong Kong police.
In the same summer, 200+ organizations in the Chinese Canadian community published a joint statement denouncing the protest and in support of the CCP. Weng’s CTCCO and CTFQBA were all on the list.
In March 2021, Weng (3rd from right in the front row) as the representative of the All-Canadian Chinese Committee for Chinese Unification (Toronto) Chinese Canadian Alliance for Chinese Unification released a statement denouncing the Canadian Parliament’s motion calling China's treatment of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang genocide.
In late January 2022, Weng and 100+ Chinese community leaders held a Zoom meeting “Together for a Shared Future” to celebrate the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Also present were Ontario MPP Michael Chan 陈国治, Ontario MPP Vincent Ke 柯文彬, Scarborough-Agincourt city councilor candidate Tony Luk 陆炳雄, etc.
Weng (right) smiled with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during the pandemic.
References:
环球新闻11.16有关报道之当事人答记者问
https://ccmedia.news/archives/32613
加拿大多伦多华人团体联合总会主席翁国宁——“娘家”的温暖焐热侨心
http://www.chinaql.org/n1/2022/0323/c419650-32381849.html
Breaking: Chinese official corroborates 110 Overseas findings
https://safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/breaking-chinese-offical-corroborates-110-overseas-findings
永久名誉会长
http://ctfqba.com/?page_id=502
福清侨联： 翁国宁：从不起眼的“打工仔”到侨领代表“福清哥”
https://ccmedia.news/archives/1626
多伦多华人社区【支持香港和平稳定】倡议书
https://www.52hrtt.com/cn/n/w/info/G1667196835893
弘扬伟大抗疫精神 凝聚侨界奋进力量 中国侨联“亲情中华 战疫有侨”主题展开幕
http://www.chinaql.org/n1/2020/1016/c419643-31895268.html
中国侨联关于号召海内外侨胞为打赢“新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎”防控阻击战捐赠款物的倡议书
http://melbourne.china-consulate.gov.cn/chn/consulate_news/202001/t20200126_140074.htm
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