In We Are Funding China’s Growth, Edouard Prisse makes an unsettling claim: there are Chinese-born scholars and researchers within American institutions that seem to be working against U.S. national interests. There is, Prisse argues, a “fifth column” within American academia and policymaking circles, subtly influencing American public opinion and economic strategy to align with Beijing’s long-term objectives.
Prisse sees many Chinese-born scholars—some of whom serve on U.S. government economic advisory boards—promoting ideas and policy positions that benefit China economically and politically. Often highly credentialed, these individuals argue for continued free trade with China, downplay the national security risks of supply chain dependency, and frame tariffs or restrictions as xenophobic or economically self-defeating. And by predicting China’s demise, they create a false confidence that China is not dangerous.
The problem, as Prisse sees it, is not their original Chinese nationality alone, but their allegiance to China and its regime. Most of these very brilliant scholars were academically educated in China under the CCP’s influence before moving to the US, and their loyalty has stayed pro-China, pro their country of birth. Their writing is aimed at letting the US continue the free trade that enriches China. Most Chinese-born scholars in the US still have family in China. They must avoid the Communist party punishing their family over there for them writing pro American articles here.
This influence extends to America’s top publications like Foreign Affairs, the Brookings Institution etc., etc., where these Chinese scholars often promote a version of globalization that closely mirrors China’s interests. As Prisse notes, dissenting voices who challenge this orthodoxy—especially those advocating for equal trade or decoupling—are marginalized or dismissed as out of touch.
The result is a distorted intellectual environment where critical debate is stifled, and pro-China economic policies gain traction not because they are right, but because they dominate the conversation.
Prisse is particularly critical of American policymakers who defer to these scholars when forming trade or foreign policy. He warns that when U.S. economic policy is shaped by individuals ideologically aligned with Beijing, it poses a profound threat to our national interest.
This is not a call for racial profiling, but for awareness.
In short, America must wake up to the fact that disinformation and influence do not always come in the form of propaganda. Often, they come in the form of articles by respected ‘specialists’ about China, erroneously considered to be on our side.
As Prisse bluntly states: “The Chinese Fifth Column is real. It is active. And it is largely invisible—until you follow the ideas and who benefits from them”. America must guard not only its ports and borders—but also its high-end publications and policy circles.