The Chinese Communist Party’s influence apparatus, commonly known as the “United Front,” is aggressively targeting state and local politics in the U.S. At the same time, American authorities are stepping up investigations into Beijing’s U.S. operations, producing a growing number of criminal cases.

San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and state Sen. Scott Wiener are engaged in a contested campaign to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District. To prevail, either candidate will need to win over a substantive number of Chinese American voters. 

Chinese Americans make up nearly a quarter of San Francisco’s population. Although the race has largely centered on kitchen-table concerns and the conflict in Gaza, the politically sensitive question of China and Taiwan has also drawn considerable attention. Undoubtedly, Beijing is watching the race closely, given that the winner will have a voice and a vote in Congress, where U.S. foreign policy is made.

The election comes on the heels of the prosecution of Eileen Wang, the former mayor of the Los Angeles County city of Arcadia. In June, Wang pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China. Federal prosecutors said Wang helped operate a Chinese-language news site that presented itself as a community outlet while publishing propaganda at the direction of Chinese officials.

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These days, Chinese Americans are facing pressure from two directions as they participate in American democracy. On one side is a U.S. presidential administration hostile to immigrants that has pursued aggressive immigration enforcement, restrictions on birthright citizenship and denaturalization efforts. On the other side is a Chinese government that has become........

© San Francisco Chronicle