United Chinese Americans (UCA)

The organization has opposed legislation to prohibit real property purchases by certain people or organizations from countries that have been identified by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence as posing a national security risk, a list that has included the People’s Republic of China. ^{2 3 4}

United Chinese Americans has opposed Ohio legislation to restrict the ability of foreign governments, entities, individuals, and businesses of selected countries from acquiring specific types of real property in Ohio, including agricultural land and property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure or military installations. ^{5 6}

Background

United Chinese Americans is a federation of Chinese Americans that was created at the first Chinese American Convention in 2016, though it was officially incorporated and became a nonprofit organization in 2017. UCA has 12 local chapters across America, including in Arizona, Illinois, and New Jersey. ^{7 8}

UCA has its own separate foundation called the UCA Community Foundation. The foundation provides small grants, between $500 and $5,000, to be used as seed funding for startup charities that have been sponsored by local Chinese American organizations. ^{9 10}

UCA also launched UCA WAVES, a mental health organization that focuses on supporting young Chinese Americans with mental health issues by providing educational toolkits for parents, hosting webinars and workshops, and leading support groups. ^{11 12}

Another project of the UCA is the National Association of Chinese American Student Unions (NACASU), an initiative created to form a national organization of Chinese American student unions, beginning with groups that are already part of universities or colleges. ¹³

Alleged Ties to the Chinese Communist Party

According to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF), at least ten UCA affiliated persons have been members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or Chinese government entities. ¹

According to the DCNF, two individuals who were on UCA’s founding honorary advisory board were members of the CCP. One of the former advisors, Wang Jisi, allegedly belonged to four front groups of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s main civilian intelligence agency. ¹

UCA president Haipei Shue claimed that Wang had “no affiliation” with UCA, despite his having been listed on the UCA website’s “honorary advisory board,” in 2016, at the same time, Haipei Shue was the president of the UCA, a position he holds as of May 2026. ^{1 14 15 16}

The DCNF also reported that six other members of UCA held positions within arms of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, is a Chinese influence organization. ^{1 17}

One UCA board member is the deputy director of the Salt Lake City Overseas Chinese Service Center (OCSC). According to the DCNF, the UFWD operates 60 international OCSC branches. ¹

Stephanie Sun, a board of trustees member of the UCA Community Foundation, previously held alleged Chinese “government roles,” including at the China Cultural Center in Seoul, South Korea. The China Cultural Center is run by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. ¹

According to the DCNF, which contacted the UCA president for comment, Shue claimed that UCA has never had a relationship with the CCP, although he said a UCA board member has a “casual official tie with a Chinese city,” adding the question, “tell me who has not worked in [the] Chinese government?”

Legislative Advocacy

Texas Senate Bill 17

United Chinese Americans, alongside the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, organized a protest rally in Houston, Texas, on March 30, 2025, to demonstrate against Texas Senate Bill 17 and House Bill 17, which prohibited real property purchases by certain foreign persons or organizations. ^{2 3}

Parties that are prohibited include governments of countries that have been identified by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence as posing a national security risk, entities that are headquartered in or controlled by said countries, designated by the Governor of Texas to be threats to national security, and entities that are majority-owned by prohibited individuals. ³

Individuals who are prohibited from purchasing property include those domiciled in countries identified as posing national security risks, citizens of said countries living abroad without naturalization, citizens of said countries who are in the United States unlawfully, and agents of countries that have been designated as a national security risk or members of their ruling parties. ³

In a press release on its website, UCA provides quotes from a letter co-signed by state and national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. According to the letter, the bills were “unconstitutional and discriminatory,” as they targeted “individuals based on their nation of origin.” ²

The press release also quoted Texas Representative and chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus Gene Wu (D-Houston), who claimed that passing the bills would put America “even closer to repeating the forced internment of Asian Americans.” ²

The Texas Senate Bill 17 was passed into law and took effect on September 1, 2025. ¹⁸

Ohio House Bill 1

United Chinese Americans opposed proposed amendments to Ohio House Bill 1, which would enact the Ohio Property Protection Act. Similar to the Texas Senate Bill 17, the act would restrict the ability of foreign governments, entities, individuals, and businesses of selected countries from acquiring specific types of real property in Ohio, including agricultural land and property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure or military installations. ^{5 6}

UCA community partner the Ohio Chinese American Association (OCAA) coached activists to protest the bill, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The organization claimed that the bill “discriminates based on national origin” and would “threaten fundamental civil liberties.” ⁵

Vincent Wang, the “community partnership representative” of UCA and chairman of the OCAA, called for lawmakers to “reject fear-based policymaking” during his testimony opposing the bill during a hearing in March 2026. According to DCNF, Wang “began ceaselessly pestering” two proponents of the bill at the hearing, one of whom noted UCA’s ties to the Chinese government during his testimony. ^{5 19}

When asked by one of the proponents of the bill if he thinks the Chinese Communist Party should be “kicked out of Ohio,” Wang “refused to answer over and over,” and although he eventually “conceded that the CCP is the enemy of the U.S.,” Wang would not admit that “the CCP should be kicked out of Ohio.” ⁵

Iowa House File 2513

United Chinese Americans co-organized a demonstration against Iowa House File 2513 (H.F. 2513), which passed through the Iowa House in March 2026. The legislation would prohibit universities in Iowa from employing citizens of “federally designated foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism” who hold H-1B visas. UCA claimed that H.F. 2513 is “discriminatory.” ^{5 20}

Financials

United Chinese Americans receives most of its funding from contributions and program services. The organization reported $584,650 in revenue in 2024, $152,469 of which came from program services, while $382,854 came from contributions and grants. The organization’s total expenses amounted to $771,815, of which $133,025 was spent on executive compensation, and another $33,000 on other salaries and wages. ²¹