A top Democratic senator’s family is deep in bed with Chinese Communist Party-connected businesses—and it’s happening in the heart of New York City.
Anthony “Tony” Malkin, the brother-in-law of Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, has spent years courting CCP-linked businesses and diplomats, offering them office space inside one of America’s most iconic landmarks: the Empire State Building.
Malkin, a Harvard-educated executive and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, personally hosted multiple Chinese consuls general—the official representatives of the Chinese Communist Party in New York. Some of these meetings go back over 15 years.
According to a 2011 China Daily article, Malkin traveled to China to recruit tenants and secured deals with CCP-controlled firms, including propaganda outlet People’s Daily Online, state-owned airline Air China, and telecom company PCCW-HKT.
Blumenthal’s family didn’t just dabble. They built a pipeline straight from Beijing to Manhattan real estate.
“The Chinese Communist Party is always looking for ways to penetrate U.S. businesses and civil society,” said Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “We shouldn’t make their job easier for them.”
One of the biggest players is Li & Fung Ltd., a Hong Kong-based corporation with strong connections to Beijing. The company’s chairman, Victor Fung, was a longtime member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and currently co-leads a China-based influence group known as the China-United States Exchange Foundation.
In 2024, Li & Fung occupied over 149,000 square feet in Malkin’s real estate portfolio, bringing in more than $8.3 million in annual rent. Fung has met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss Hong Kong’s role in the global supply chain.
The Empire State Building hasn’t just opened its doors to Chinese firms—it’s also become a public stage for CCP-led propaganda efforts. For 25 consecutive years, the building has been lit in red to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, often with Malkin standing next to Chinese diplomats during the ceremonies.
In 2023, then-Consul General Huang Ping—who has defended Beijing’s human rights abuses—joined Malkin at the lighting ceremony. Ping was later named in a Justice Department indictment involving a former deputy chief of staff for New York Governor Kathy Hochul. That indictment accused the aide of helping censor references to the CCP’s genocide against Uyghur Muslims in official speeches, allegedly in exchange for gifts from Ping.
Malkin and Ping met multiple times. In 2019, they marked the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China with a lighting ceremony promoted by Chinese state media.
Blumenthal’s office, when pressed, denied any involvement. “Senator Blumenthal has absolutely nothing to do with any of this,” said spokeswoman Maria McElwain. She emphasized that Blumenthal’s wife is just one of thousands of shareholders and does not control the company’s actions.
Still, the ties are undeniable. Malkin’s dealings include a “China Business Desk” mentioned in the 2011 China Daily article, although a spokesperson now claims the quote was unauthenticated and that Malkin never saw the article. The company did acknowledge that China was a major growth market for tourism and real estate during that time.
The Empire State Building has also hosted state-linked organizations like the China National Tourism Office, which operated out of the building in the early 2000s under Malkin’s oversight.
Malkin’s relationship with the Chinese consulate has remained consistent through three separate consuls general. In a 2021 press release, Malkin reportedly expressed support for cultural exchanges with China and pledged continued cooperation.
Meanwhile, Americans are left to wonder: why is a top Democratic senator’s family actively partnering with officials representing a regime that censors dissent, denies genocide, and seeks to influence U.S. institutions?
And in a time when China is ramping up aggression abroad and espionage at home, why are our elected leaders so quiet when that influence starts lighting up our skyline?
These aren’t just business deals—they’re warning signs.
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As a conservative resident of Connecticut, I have never understood why Blumenthal keeps getting elected.
WOW, a demokrap politician in bed with a Chinese communist, I canât believe it, I just canât believe it. Whatâs this world coming to.Â
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Next thing you know tRump will have a relationship with Putin.
You are late, trump always been in bed with put in and Russia. What’s the big deal now both countries are under dictatorship.
What kind of so-called Americans think that doing business with an evil communistic Chinese regime is a good idea? Whatever happened to love and security of our great nation? Or is it the love of money that has priority over good sense? I guess this gives a new meaning to being disloyal and traitors to one’s country. What a terrible shame.
Same loyalty that your commander in chief has with putin and Russia. Don’t see anybody having a ultimate fit about Trump.
So PRESIDENT DONALD J TRUMP Since that DEMOCRAT SENATOR IS IN DEEP IN BED WITH CHINA COMMUNISTS PARTY. FOR ALL U KNOW HE HAS MORE AND LIKELY GAVE CHINA VALUABLE INFORMATION AGAINST USA LIKE IMPORTANT PAPERS ON OUR GOVERNMENT, PLUS OUR MISSLES, AIRFORCE AND MORE AND MORE ABOUT ALL OF OUR COUNTRY SECRETS SO PRESIDENT TRUMP TIME TOO PUT HIM AWAY IN JAIL FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE…DELETE ALL OF HIS ACCOUNTS, AND IF HE EAS GIVEN TERRORIST MONEY FROM CHINA…WE NEED U 2 TAKE AND PROTECT US ALL FROM PEOPLE THAT R TRUE AMERICANS. HE IS NOT A TRUE AMERICAN SINCE HE IS IN CHINA\’S POCKETS…..JAIL TIME .. JAIL TIME….JAIL TIME