Rep. Banks: Carmel should drop Sister Cities relationship with Chinese city
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana member of the U.S. House has called on Carmel to end its Sister Cities relationship with Xiangyang in the Hubei province of China.
Republican Rep. Jim Banks sent a letter dated Tuesday to Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam, also a Republican. He asked Finkam to withdraw Carmel’s Sister Cities agreement with Xiangyang and abstain from future trips organized by groups aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
Banks is one of six candidates seeking a chance in the May 7 Republican primary to run for U.S. Senate, according to Ballotpedia.
Sister Cities International was created in the 1950s to create global relationships based on cultural, educational, information, and trade exchanges, its website says.
Carmel also has Sister Cities arrangements with Cortono, Italy; Jelgava, Latvia; Kawachinagano, Osaka, Japan; Seiffen, Germany; Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India; and Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
According to Carmel’s website, three representatives of Xiangyang agreed to join Sister Cities as a partner with the Hamilton County city on June 29, 2012. The Xiangyang metro area has more than 5.8 million residents and covers 7,382 square miles.
“The Carmel-Xiangyang Sister City initiative was implemented to create more educational, cultural, and economic exchange opportunities between Carmel, Indiana and Xiangyang, Hubei. The City of Carmel looks forward to sharing its experiences and ideas relating to the arts, culture, education, trade, business, and investments with Xiangyang,” the city’s website says.
Banks pointed to a Washington Post report that described Chinese Communist Party efforts to influence Carmel elected leaders, including Jim Brainard, who left office in December after 28 years in the job. Brainard and five other U.S. mayors visited Wuhan, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Shanghai for 10 days in November, Banks’ letter says.
The letter added:
“China has successfully leveraged sister-city agreements to force non-American, foreign politicians to endorse its one-China policy and to oppose policies that could harm China. In February 2020, former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo outlined the dangers of sister-city agreements during the annual National Governors Association meeting, warning governors that they should actively work to identify and combat CCP infiltration of state and local government.
“Today, at a Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing, I had the opportunity to ask former Secretary Pompeo about Mayor Brainard’s visit, sister-city agreements, and China’s efforts to influence state and local officials. He explained:
“‘When the Chinese Communist Party shows up at your school and offers a free swing set, it is not because they care about the health of your children. … They may show up and give you some temporary lift, but in the end, it is about them, not us. … This is an effort at every level for the Chinese Communist Party to have the capacity to influence our government. The Chinese Communist Party is truly evil.’”
Portion of letter from U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana
Finkam shared a statement with News 8.
“We appreciate Congressman Banks raising this concern, and we agree that protecting Hoosiers should be our first priority. As part of our transition, all agreements and contracts put in place by the previous administration, including sister-city agreements, are currently under review. In the meantime, we have no plans for any travel to China, and the CCP will have no influence over my administration or the city of Carmel.”
Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam