‘Warm hospitality’: University president has repeatedly cozied up to top CCP officials

FIRST ON FOX: A top diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, who recently replaced a controversial official with deep ties to top New York Democrats, recently touted his relationship with an American university president and former top education official in New Jersey. 

Chen Li, who assumed the role of consul general of the People’s Republic of China in New York last month, took to social media last week to praise the “warm hospitality” he received from Kean University President Lamont Repollet.

“Absolutely overwhelmed by the warm hospitality from President Repollet. I truly felt at home on this campus,” Li wrote on X. “The commitment to bilateral educational exchange and people to people connections is key to the success of Wenzhou-Kean University, a Chinese-American joint institution.”

Repollet, who served as New Jersey’s commissioner of education under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy for more than two years, was seen smiling in two of the photos that Li posted. According to Repollet’s Kean University biography, he was in charge of “overseeing the shift to remote education amid the COVID-19 pandemic and playing a key role in planning for the 2020-2021 school year.”

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Despite Biden and Trump administration officials warning about the influence of the CCP, Repollet has developed deep ties to China dating back several years, a Fox News Digital review found. He most recently visited Beijing in October of this year to give a keynote speech at the Triennial Conference of the International Association of University Presidents, which was held in Beijing.

Press releases from the conference emphasized how Repollet was passionate about equity in education and that his keynote speech highlighted how “AI is a revolutionary tool that can foster equity and transform how we engage with students and support their success.”

“AI has the power to help close achievement gaps and ensure that every student, no matter their challenges, has access to high-quality educational resources,” he continued. “By offering personalized learning experiences, AI empowers historically marginalized students with the tools they need to succeed.”

Months earlier, Chinese state media amplified China President Xi Jinping’s letter to Repollet, which was in response to a letter he sent to Xi, according to state media.

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“Recently, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from Lamont Repollet, president of Kean University of the United States, encouraging Chinese and American universities to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and contribute to China-U.S. friendship,” the Chinese government said in a press release.

“Recalling witnessing the signing ceremony of the China-U.S. cooperation agreement on jointly establishing Wenzhou-Kean University in 2006 at Kean University, Xi Jinping said he is pleased to see that with the joint efforts of both sides, Wenzhou-Kean University has achieved remarkable results and become a landmark project in China-U.S. educational cooperation.”

“Xi expressed appreciation for what Repollet said in his letter about deepening cooperation with Wenzhou-Kean University and encouraging American students to come to China for exchange and study, and called on universities of the two countries to step up exchanges and cooperation through different modalities to cultivate young envoys who know both countries well, and build more bridges to promote China-U.S. friendship,” the statement continued.

Additionally, a press release from Wenzhou-Kean University touted Repollet’s “momentous” visit to China in April 2023.

“Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet and his delegation embarked on a momentous visit to Wenzhou, marking the first visit in three years,” the press release said. “This visit presented a unique opportunity to strengthen the interactions between the two universities, foster people-to-people exchanges between Zhejiang province and New Jersey in the United States, and enhance the long-standing friendship between the two countries.”

The press release said Repollet arrived in China on March 20, 2023, and he “wasted no time” meeting with Wenzhou Party Secretary Shuji Liu Xiaotao.

“Mr. Liu Xiaotao expressed his hope that the two sides would continue to build a model of Sino-US cooperation in education and foster a bridge of friendly exchanges, with a bright future ahead for the university,” the press release states. “President Repollet extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Wenzhou government for its unwavering support toward the construction and development of WKU.”

Xiaotao has been a member of the Chinese Communist Party since 1991 and has served in various roles over the last few decades.

Additionally, a Chinese state media company held an event in New York City in September of this year that listed Repollet as a speaker where, according to a press release, he “emphasized the importance of cultural exchange and people-to-people diplomacy in fostering mutual understanding between nations.”

The slate of speakers included several Chinese officials, including Xie Feng, Chinese ambassador to the U.S., and Shen Haixiong, the deputy minister of the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee. Haixiong also serves as the head of the China Media Group, which is a crucial media conglomerate that plays a major role in the country’s state media apparatus.

While Repollet’s ties to China have become stronger since he became the president of Kean University, his Facebook profile shows that he made multiple visits to China before he became the top administrator at Kean. 

For example, a 2016 Facebook post shows Repollet attending Wenzhou-Kean University’s inaugural commencement in China as a member of the university’s board of trustees. He attended the 2017 commencement in China also, according to another Facebook post.

Prior to Chen Li taking over the top position in China’s New York consulate, that position was held by Huang Ping, who has a long history of promoting CCP propaganda and calling the CCP a “great party,” denying the alleged Uyghur genocide, and meeting with officials across the United States at universities, media companies and in elected office.

Ping repeatedly met with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, all Democrats. Earlier this year, Ping was referenced dozens of times in an indictment involving one of Hochul’s former top aides. 

Repollet also has ties to Ping dating back to 2021, according to a press release from the New York Chinese consulate. Ping and Repollet met virtually in December 2021, where Ping congratulated him on his appointment at Kean University and commended “the university for setting a good example for China-U.S. educational cooperation by its 10-year successful campus in Wenzhou, China.”

“[Repollet] highly agrees that education cooperation plays a unique role in people-to-people exchange and in enhancing understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American people,” the consulate’s press release said. “[Repollet] confirms that the university highly values globalization and diversity, and firmly supports cooperation with China.”

Months earlier, Repollet recorded a video on behalf of the New York Chinese consulate celebrating “the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.” In the video, he touted his university’s “strong ties” to China and said he was “immensely grateful to our Chinese partners and to the people at Kean USA who continues to work together to help this university and especially our students thrive.”

“I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in China to further develop this great institution and to celebrate events like National Day In China together [and] well into the future,” Repollet continued.

A 2023 Facebook post also shows Repollet participating in an event marking the final day of the Chinese New Year, which featured Ping.

Michael Sobolik, the author of “Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance,” sounded the alarm about this close relationship between Repollet and China, telling Fox News Digital this relationship is a “cautionary tale.”

“The university hosts a Human Rights Institute, but it makes no mention of Beijing’s ongoing genocide of Uyghurs, its cultural genocide in Tibet, its political crackdown in Hong Kong, or its broader oppression of the Chinese people at home and abroad,” Sobolik continued. “This is what happens when American universities partner with the Chinese Communist Party: money and market access incentivize Americans to ignore the party’s atrocities and remain silent.”

China’s New York consulate, which has previously toed the line on the CCP’s narrative while responding to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries, dismissed Sobolik’s analysis by calling him a “so-called ‘expert’” that “lacks a basic understanding of China.”

“The statements regarding Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, and human rights are factually incorrect and represent typical disinformation. We firmly opposes such slander and smear,” the consulate continued. “Educational exchange and cooperation between China and the U.S. align with the laws and common interests of both sides, and are transparent and beyond reproach.”

“Kean University is known for promoting educational equity and inclusivity, and its cooperation with China will provide more learning and development opportunities for students of all ethnic backgrounds in the U.S.,” the consulate added. “We urge some people in the U.S. to remove their ‘colored glasses,’ view the cooperation objectively and positively.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Kean University for comment, but did not receive a response.

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