A group of Republican senators is pressing District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser for answers about the city’s “sister city” partnership with Beijing, citing national security concerns.
Led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), the senators sent a letter to Bowser on Oct. 24, questioning why Beijing was removed from the city’s list of sister cities on its website in August, without any formal announcement. They asked the mayor whether the city’s sister city agreement “has been formally terminated or merely suspended.”
“Given the national security implications, we believe it is important to ensure that all formal and informal agreements between U.S. and foreign municipalities are not exploited by foreign governments—particularly the People’s Republic of China—as vehicles to advance soft-power objectives, disseminate propaganda, or suppress dissenting voices,” the senators wrote….