Tragic Scene and Political Ambiguities
A child soldier perished in a marsh, succumbing to starvation.
The Red Army halts for a fleeting moment to mourn this little martyr, before the Long March continues — as if the kindergarten play has concluded.
It’s graduation day in Shanghai, with Elaine Chao in attendance.
The date is June 14, 2026. In just a few hours, Chao’s husband, Mitch McConnell, a Republican Senator from Kentucky, will be rushed to a hospital halfway across the world.
Chao has been visiting this Shanghai kindergarten for decades, engaging with officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its influence and intelligence arm called the United Front Work Department (UFWD), as detailed by translations of numerous Chinese government and state media reports.
According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Beijing employs the UFWD to shape foreign policy and “gain access to advanced foreign technology.”
This kindergarten, named after Chao’s grandfather, is utilized by a United Front affiliate as a platform to deepen ties with her, as documents indicate.
Chao, or Zhao Xiaolan in Chinese, has held multiple positions with the Chinese government since 2008, including a role as an advisor in Wuhan and within organizations linked to the UFWD, recent reports suggest. These roles overlapped with her time as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush and as Secretary of Transportation during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Chao’s spokesperson, Patrick O’Connor, refuted claims that she “held a position with a foreign government,” stating that they were unaware of any meetings with UFWD representatives, despite photos showing her interactions with CCP and UFWD officials.
“Such a suggestion ignores her almost fifty years of dedicated service to the United States and is something we find unfounded, deeply hurtful, and even racist,” O’Connor emphasized.
He noted that “education has always been important to the family and its philanthropic efforts,” stressing that Chao frequently visits schools both in the U.S. and abroad. He also clarified that she attended the Shanghai kindergarten to honor her father’s legacy, which has been a significant supporter for nearly four decades, labeling it one of the region’s finest kindergartens.
Chao’s ties with CCP and organizations linked to the UFWD illustrate how China employs political influence tactics and information warfare to impact the U.S. “without a single shot being fired,” commented geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert, author of The Weichert Brief.
He pointed out that after more than forty years of these operations, which now even affect educational frameworks in the U.S., it is evident that the U.S. has been tactically outmaneuvered by a pervasive Chinese narrative. He remarked that the fact even people within the circle of prominent figures, like the wife of Mitch McConnell, have become symbols of a subtle influence campaign, shows how extensive and far-reaching these efforts are.
Weichert cautioned, “We are slowly, but surely, edging towards being absorbed into China’s new empire without fully recognizing it.”
‘Little Soldiers’
The Chao family’s connection with the Shanghai kindergarten dates back to its founding when Chao’s father, James S.C. Chao, donated $100,000 to Malu Central Kindergarten in 1995. The name was later changed to Malu Yiren Kindergarten to honor his own father, Zhao Yiren, a principal who believed in the principle of “saving the nation through education.”
For over thirty years, Chao has mingled with UFWD and CCP officials at the kindergarten, as her family has continued to support the school financially, evidenced by various reports.
In recent years, the kindergarten has hosted a multitude of military-oriented activities, including various training exercises led by personnel from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
For instance, in September 2025, the kindergarten organized a military-themed event for very young children, during which they played “red games” using toy rifles and grenades, participating in activities like “Dodging Bombs,” “Advancing Tanks,” and “Carrying Stretchers,” among others, according to the school’s reports and accompanying pictures.
It’s unclear when these military-themed events started, but the kindergarten was already showcasing military songs by 2019.
At that year’s graduation, children appeared in camouflage outfits, mimicking gun gestures while performing propaganda songs like “Little Navy Sailor,” a song that starts with, “I am a little navy sailor, piloting a small gunboat.”
Other propaganda songs featured during that same graduation included “Song of the Red Star” and an anthem termed “Yiren One Family,” created by representatives of a United Front entity that not only co-sponsored the ceremony but is also a formal partner to the school.
The formal ties began nearly five years prior.
‘We Are Still Chinese’
In November 2014, the kindergarten entered a “co-construction” agreement with a branch of Zhigong, setting the groundwork for the United Front to strengthen relations with the Chao family through this institution.
A local UFWD official presided over the signing ceremony, suggesting hopes for a mutual benefit regarding “Zhigong, the kindergarten, and United Front work.”
The event concluded with the debut of the kindergarten’s anthem, “Yiren One Family,” named after Chao’s grandfather.
Just days after the agreement’s ratification, students sang this anthem for Chao during a visit while she was accompanied by officials from the CCP and Zhigong.
During this event, representatives from the UFWD, who also led local COFA branches in which Chao held advisory roles, were present. The same officials were noted for managing the district’s division of ACFROC, which had likewise appointed Chao in various capacities.
“Experts in counterintelligence have long cautioned that the UFWD aims to build relationships with political families, using these connections to exert influence outside regular governmental channels,” stated Ina Mitchell, an expert on Chinese intelligence. “Even though the spouse of a senator is a private individual, such close ties — particularly where significant policy implications towards China exist — raise valid concerns about access, purpose, and potential impact on U.S. policy.”
A year after the kindergarten and Zhigong began collaborating, Chao, her father, and her sister, Angela, returned in October 2015 with local CCP and UFWD officials to unveil a statue of her grandfather. To celebrate the kindergarten’s 20th anniversary, the Chao family also donated $161,290 to the school.
“Though we grew up in the U.S., our parents always reminded us: we are still Chinese,” Chao remarked in Chinese state media during the visit.
This sentiment was reflected in a detailed announcement from Jiading’s UFWD in January 2016, which highlighted their efforts in “overseas United Front work” concerning Chao and others, emphasizing the importance of familial and cultural ties.
The UFWD document noted that Chao had been among those invited to Jiading to meet family and discuss “joint development.”
Approximately nine months later, Chao and her father, Zhao Xicheng, made another visit to the kindergarten, where such “bonds” were evidently emphasized, as students addressed them as “Momma Xiaolan” and “Grandpa Xicheng” during a tour of the school’s memorials.
At this point, Zhigong had also started organizing specific events for the kindergarten, with Chao’s consent, as documentation suggests.
It remains unknown how much the Chao family was aware of the operational facets of the United Front’s efforts, but the intentions of Zhigong were highlighted three years later when recognition was granted for their “advanced” outreach in July 2019.
A corresponding UFWD report described “maintaining long-term relations with Zhao Xiaolan’s family” as a key achievement of this branch’s work.
The strategy was described as “Small Pairing, Big Politics.”
Experts recommend that spouses of U.S. lawmakers and cabinet members should distance themselves from UFWD associations, stated Scott McGregor, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police intelligence officer and Chinese expert.
“The overarching United Front strategy is about identifying individuals with influence, expertise, or relationships and structuring connections for strategic gains,” McGregor added. “Participants might view their involvement as benign or beneficial; nonetheless, Beijing perceives substantial value regardless of their individual perspectives.”
