China Orchestrates Multi-Billion Dollar Influence Campaign to Undermine US AI Data Centers

Washington, D.C. – China is conducting a sophisticated, well-funded influence operation aimed at demonizing American AI data centers, seeking to hinder U.S. technological dominance while aggressively expanding its own AI infrastructure with heavy state subsidies.

A May 2026 report from the Bitcoin Policy Institute exposed the campaign’s scale, estimating billions in coordinated spending across propaganda, activist funding, and dark money channels. The effort targets public opinion, local governments, and Congress to impose delays, moratoriums, and regulatory hurdles on new U.S. facilities critical for AI training and development.

Chinese state media outlets, including CGTN, China Daily, and Global Times, have published hundreds of stories framing U.S. data centers as environmental threats responsible for rising electricity costs, grid instability, and carbon emissions. At the same time, Beijing provides up to 50% energy cost subsidies and streamlined permitting for its domestic AI projects, allowing rapid construction without similar public backlash.

A key component involves Shanghai-based billionaire Neville Roy Singham, who has funneled at least $285 million since 2017 into a network of U.S. nonprofits and activist organizations. Recipients include CodePink and groups aligned with progressive lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. These organizations have strongly backed the proposed AI Data Center Moratorium Act and supported dozens of local moratorium efforts across multiple states.

Additional dark money flows exceeding $2 billion have been traced to foreign billionaires with ties to Chinese interests, including Hansjörg Wyss and Alan Parker, further amplifying opposition through environmental and community groups.

The campaign has produced measurable results. Public polling by Gallup shows roughly 70% of Americans now oppose new data centers near their communities, citing concerns over energy use and land impact. More than two dozen cities and counties have enacted temporary moratoriums or strict permitting requirements in the past year, slowing critical AI infrastructure projects.

President Trump has pushed back with executive orders designed to accelerate federal permitting for data centers and provide incentives for domestic construction. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith has launched an investigation into the foreign funding sources influencing U.S. energy and technology policy.

Administration officials describe the Chinese effort as economic warfare designed to maintain Beijing’s strategic advantages in AI while weakening American competitiveness. The campaign fits a broader pattern of Chinese influence operations targeting key U.S. industries.