Welcome to Pay Dirt—exclusive reporting and research from The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay on corruption, campaign finance, and influence-peddling in the nation’s capital. For Beast Inside members only.
The Trump administration’s hard line on China is turning into a K Street gold rush. Trade restrictions and national-security crackdowns have led to an unprecedented spike in the number of Chinese-owned firms seeking hired help to navigate the increasingly hostile policy arena.
Since 2017, companies that reported a Chinese ownership interest have collectively signed 48 new lobbying contracts, according to disclosure records. Since last year, such companies have inked deals with as many K Street firms as they did during the entirety of the Obama administration.