Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign is facing questions after new campaign finance filings showed contributions totaling nearly $15,000 connected to a law firm with extensive operations in China and documented links to Chinese state entities.
The filing, released this week, lists a $9,999 contribution to Swalwell’s campaign on Dec. 30 from DeHeng Law Offices PC, based in Pleasanton, California. The firm’s website describes the location as its “Silicon Valley Office,” which appears to list only one attorney.
That attorney, Keliang “Clay” Zhu, is identified as a partner at the firm and is listed as the sole name associated with the “Silicon Valley Office,” according to the firm’s online materials. Campaign records also show Zhu donated $5,000 to Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign in November and previously contributed more than $10,000 to Swalwell’s House campaigns.
A review of the firm’s background describes DeHeng as originally established in the early 1990s as the “China Law Office,” a subsidiary firm tied to China’s Ministry of Justice, before being renamed DeHeng in 1995. The firm operates more than two dozen offices in China and presents itself as independent, while also describing longstanding cooperation with Chinese government departments and major state-owned enterprises.
In professional biographies, Zhu highlights work assisting Chinese companies and state-linked entities with U.S. investments and regulatory matters. In one example, he cites representing an “investment fund of a major state-owned enterprise” in acquiring majority shares of a Silicon Valley data analytics software company valued at $100 million.
Another description says Zhu “has assisted Chinese companies and funds to complete more than $9 billion” in investments across sectors including chips, unmanned vehicles, new energy, artificial intelligence, industrial automation, and biopharmaceuticals in the United States. The biography also says he negotiated with U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Treasury, to reach compliance plans aimed at reducing regulatory risk for Chinese clients.
Zhu’s bio further states he advised “a governmental investment fund from Shenzhen” regarding compliance with CFIUS rules and represented “WeChat users” in litigation that successfully blocked a 2020 WeChat ban.
During that period, the Trump administration argued WeChat’s data practices posed national security risks, including concerns about access to Americans’ information and potential influence operations. Similar efforts to restrict or scrutinize WeChat have also been pursued in countries including Australia and India, according to U.S. government statements referenced in the article.
Zhu has also opposed state-level laws intended to restrict land purchases by Chinese nationals or entities. After a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging a Texas law limiting land ownership or leasing by Chinese nationals, Zhu described such measures as “unfair, unconstitutional and un-American,” according to AsAmNews. He has also criticized Florida legislation aimed at limiting land purchases by individuals from “foreign adversary” countries, including China.
National security advocates have increasingly raised concerns about Chinese purchases of farmland and property near sensitive U.S. sites, a trend that has prompted legislation in multiple states and renewed attention in Congress.
Michael Lucci, a China-focused national security advocate and founder of State Armor Action, criticized the donations and urged changes to campaign finance rules, arguing that contributions made “on behalf of foreign adversaries” should be treated as bribes under the law. Lucci also said Swalwell should return the money by re-donating it to “an organization that fights the evils of communism.”
The article also notes that multiple DeHeng partners in China have biographies describing involvement with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which the CPPCC describes as a mechanism for political consultation under Chinese Communist Party leadership and is frequently cited by researchers as an element of the CCP’s United Front influence strategy.
Examples cited include senior lawyers in DeHeng’s Kunming, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Beijing offices whose bios describe CPPCC roles or recognition tied to political committees and government-linked legal service initiatives.
Swalwell’s past interactions with a Chinese national, Christine Fang—also known as “Fang Fang”—have also drawn scrutiny. U.S. officials previously described Fang as part of a counterintelligence effort linked to China aimed at cultivating relationships with political figures. Swalwell has said he cut off contact after being briefed by U.S. intelligence officials. A later House ethics review found no wrongdoing, though Republicans later removed him from the House Intelligence Committee, citing concerns tied to the episode.
Lucci argued Swalwell should publicly commit to rejecting future contributions connected to U.S. adversaries and again called on him to re-donate the funds linked to DeHeng and Zhu.
