American Socialists Pledge Loyalty to Beijing — And Ignore China's Human Rights Record

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A Pledge of Loyalty to Beijing

A London-based advocacy group, Friends of Socialist China, says it has collected 952 signatures on a pledge to support the People's Republic of China and promote understanding of "Chinese socialism." The signatories resolve "to support, defend and build understanding of Chinese socialism," arguing that China's political system is under threat from what they call a Western "hybrid war."

The pledge goes further than simple diplomacy. It claims that humanity's future depends on the survival of "Chinese socialism" — not a call for engagement, but an open endorsement of an authoritarian one-party state.

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Democratic Socialists of America in the Mix

What makes the story land in American politics is who signed it. According to reporting, eleven self-described members of the Democratic Socialists of America or its International Committee appear on the signatory list. Among them are people identified with the group's Middle East & Africa and anti-war subcommittees.

This is not new territory for DSA's international wing. Internal DSA documents reviewed by reporters show members of a "China Working Group" meeting with Chinese Communist Party-linked contacts since at least 2021, including trips to Xinjiang and Guizhou. One member is quoted in meeting minutes as arguing that "anti-imperialism" should guide everything the group does.

The DSA has become a major force in Democratic Party politics in some cities. It is the organization behind New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which is part of why critics say the China pledge deserves wider attention rather than being dismissed as a fringe curiosity.

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Dismissing Abuses as "Propaganda"

The pledge does not merely stay silent on China's record — it actively pushes back against it. It describes the widespread view of socialist states as repressive as a form of "capitalist cultural hegemony," and calls for a "counter-narrative" to correct what it calls propaganda about prison camps, censorship and political repression under socialist rule.

That framing runs directly into a large body of independent, corroborated evidence — not "propaganda" from a single Western outlet, but findings from United Nations bodies and international labor watchdogs.

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What the Independent Record Actually Shows

While the pledge frames concerns about China's human rights record as smears, the documentation tells a different story:

• A UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary slavery concluded it is "reasonable to conclude" that forced labor is occurring among Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities in Xinjiang, and said some cases may amount to enslavement as a crime against humanity.
• The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) found that mass detentions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity, citing arbitrary detention, forced labor and restrictions on religious practice.
• The International Labor Organization has repeatedly flagged "coercive measures" depriving Xinjiang workers of free job choice, and has asked Beijing for more transparency.
• China's government denies all of these findings and describes its Xinjiang programs as poverty alleviation and vocational training.

None of this amounts to a Western smear campaign invented to discredit socialism. It comes from UN human rights mechanisms and labor bodies operating independently of any single government — precisely the kind of documentation the "Friends of Socialist China" pledge asks its signatories to wave away.

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A Pattern, Not an Isolated Case

Friends of Socialist China is not a one-off project. Its supporter list includes editors tied to pro-Beijing media outlets and members of communist parties in several countries, alongside academics and activists. The group has been active since at least 2021, when it first circulated a similar statement opposing what it called the West's "propaganda war" on China.

The recurring presence of DSA-linked names on these lists — some appearing as far back as 2022 — suggests a sustained relationship between parts of the American democratic socialist movement and pro-Beijing advocacy networks, not a single lapse in judgment by a handful of individuals.

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Outlook

The Democratic Socialists of America did not respond to requests for comment on the pledge. As DSA-aligned politicians gain more visibility in American cities, scrutiny of the group's international wing — and its posture toward the Chinese Communist Party — is likely to keep growing, especially given the well-documented human rights record the pledge chooses to dismiss.

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Sources

1. Nitzberg, Alex. "Democratic Socialists of America activists signed pledge to support, defend 'Chinese socialism.'" Fox News, July 31, 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-socialists-america-activists-signed-pledge-support-defend-chinese-socialism
2. Nava, Victor. "Members of Mamdani's DSA pledge to 'support' and 'defend' China." New York Post, July 30, 2026.
3. "Democratic Socialists of America pro-China agenda revealed." Newsweek, February 3, 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/mamdani-china-communist-party-democratic-socialists-11370804
4. "Register as a supporter." Friends of Socialist China (primary source of the pledge text). https://socialistchina.org/register-as-a-supporter/
5. "UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China." UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), January 2026. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/un-experts-alarmed-reports-forced-labour-uyghur-tibetan-and-other-minorities
6. "China rejects UN experts' concerns for alleged forced labour in Xinjiang." Reuters, January 2026.