Ocean County Leader

Representatives Chris Smith of New Jersey and John Moolenaar of Michigan have reached out to the Kennedy Center with concerns about upcoming performances by the National Ballet of China (NBC). In their letter, they highlighted the NBC's connections to the Chinese Communist Party. They stated that "art is a political instrument in the People’s Republic China [and] used for the purpose of disseminating propaganda abroad."

The letter emphasized that since the Kennedy Center is "a public building," there is an expectation for accountability to U.S. taxpayers regarding activities within its premises. The Representatives expressed their view that "subsidizing CCP propaganda and implicitly endorsing Xi Jinping’s war on artists and intellectuals…is not responsible stewardship in our opinion."

Additionally, Smith and Moolenaar included a list of artists who have been detained in China, as well as those who have faced intimidation and harassment both in the United States and other countries.

Chris Smith serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa within the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. John Moolenaar holds the position of Chair for the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.