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Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger took $50,000 from a Chinese businessman tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to campaign finance records.
The donations came in two $25,000 installments in April and May from Pin Ni, president of Wanxiang America, the U.S. arm of Chinese automotive conglomerate Wanxiang Group, which has deep ties to the CCP.
Wanxiang Group posthumously awarded the company’s founder, Lu Guanqiu, the title of “National Outstanding Communist Party Member” in a 2021 press release and praised Guanqiu for his “pursuit of communism as a lifelong ideal and practice.” The press release also said Guanqiu, the late father-in-law of Pin Ni, “has always listened to the [Chinese Communist] Party and followed the Party,” a Fox News Digital review found.
The press release continued by quoting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s praise of Guanqiu, saying he was “in line with the Party Central Committee. He always actively does what our Party committees and governments at all levels advocate.”
DEM GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE TOOK MONEY FROM CCP-LINKED BUSINESSMAN, HUNTER BIDEN ART BUYER
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Democratic Party nominee for Governor addresses the crowd during an event in support of her run for office at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center in Richmond, Virginia, on April 8, 2025. (Max Posner/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The founder’s bio on the Wanxiang website says he was elected as the 13th and 14th Representatives of the CCP, and a delegate to the 9th, 10th, and 11th Chinese National People’s Congress, top levels of the CCP’s hierarchy.
The donation revelations come as Spanberger, a former U.S. representative from Virginia, champions electric vehicle tax credits and mandates — policies that could directly benefit Wanxiang’s EV operations.
“Virginians know that Abigail Spanberger has a demonstrated record of standing up for America’s national security, delivering results for Virginia families across party lines, and never backing down from keeping the American people safe,” a spokesperson for Spanberger wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Her campaign will remain focused on what Virginians care about most, keeping our communities safe, driving down costs, protecting Virginia jobs, and making sure Virginia’s public schools are the very best in America,” the spokesperson added.
While accepting the $50,000 in campaign contributions from Pin, Spanberger has continued to spotlight her national security credentials on the campaign trail.
“At the CIA, she had one mission: protect and serve the United States of America,” her campaign website states. “She worked undercover to identify threats to national security, prevent terrorist attacks, stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and track transnational criminal networks.”
Lawmakers from both parties have long raised concerns that the Chinese government exploits educational exchanges, research partnerships, and business investments in the U.S. as cover for espionage activities. These warnings have intensified in recent years amid growing scrutiny of Beijing’s influence operations on U.S. soil.
Former President Joe Biden poses with then-Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., as he departs after delivering the State of the Union address in March 2024. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)
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A spokesperson for the Winsome Earle-Sears campaign told Fox News that Spanberger was “once again cozying up to international interests.”
“Taking $50,000 from someone with clear Chinese Communist Party ties tells us all we need to know,” said the spokesperson. “You can’t claim to stand up to foreign threats while pocketing money from someone celebrated by the CCP.”
According to campaign finance records from the Federal Election Commission, Pin Ni has a long history of political donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates across the country. His contributions span multiple election cycles and include candidates at both the state and federal levels. In October 2024, Pin donated to the Republican National Committee and to New Jersey Democrat Senator Cory Booker’s “Purpose Pac.”
