A Fremont resident, Henry Yin, is at the center of a new report examining a California family’s political donations and long-standing ties to China, including a reported connection to a Chinese national once identified by U.S. officials as a suspected intelligence operative.
According to the report, Yin and his family — led by his 89-year-old brother, C.C. Yin, a Chinese immigrant who built a McDonald’s franchise empire — donated more than $4.4 million over the years to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, and other prominent California Democrats. Records cited in the report show roughly $364,817 to Newsom’s campaigns, an additional $80,000 to his 2019 inauguration committee, and $50,000 to a nonprofit at Newsom’s direction. The family also gave $214,300 to Harris, $221,700 to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis between 2018 and 2025, and $115,680 to former state Treasurer John Chiang.
C.C. Yin founded the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs association, known as APAPA. Newly released FBI files reportedly describe suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, as having a point of contact within APAPA, and say a top official at the organization — identified by sources as C.C. Yin — directed Fang toward former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Fang also reportedly appeared alongside members of the Yin family at a 2013 APAPA event.
Fang, who fled to the United States before returning to China in 2015, was previously reported to have had a sexual relationship with Swalwell and to have helped place an intern in his Washington office through APAPA connections. A New York Post investigation this month reported that APAPA continues to place interns with politicians across the country, and that Fang also formed relationships with two other politicians she met through the network.
Fremont’s Yin and Rep. Ro Khanna
Henry Yin’s name has also surfaced in connection with Rep. Ro Khanna, whose district includes Fremont. According to the report, Yin advised Khanna on trade issues, appeared with Newsom at a 2019 fundraiser, and was described in Chinese state media as an overseas contact for California-China business and talent recruitment. An APAPA press release states that Yin served as a senior adviser to Khanna and as president of the organization’s U.S.-China Trade Committee.
Khanna is the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, a panel formed to examine Chinese Communist Party influence in American politics, business and technology. Khanna publicly referred to Henry Yin as his
