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Natalie Winters@nataliegwinters · Aug 26, 2026

Exclusive: I found a buried official Chinese roster showing that before Steven Chu became Obama’s Energy Secretary, a…

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Summary

Investigative reporting reveals that Steven Chu, who became Obama's Energy Secretary, was listed as an "overseas honorary president" of a CCP United Front organization before his Senate confirmation, a fact that never surfaced publicly or in hearings. The discovery raises questions about undisclosed foreign affiliations and subsequent deals Chu made as Energy Secretary, including a $150 million U.S.-China research center and agreements involving nuclear security technology sharing.

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  1. #1

    Exclusive: I found a buried official Chinese roster showing that before Steven Chu became Obama’s Energy Secretary, a CCP United Front group listed him as an “overseas honorary president.” I found no prior U.S. reporting on it—and it never came up in his Senate hearing. 🧵

  2. #2

    Western Returned Scholars Association is part of the CCP’s political warfare apparatus. Its own records say it answered to the CCP Central Secretariat and United Front Work Department—the influence machine used to co-opt elites and manipulate foreign institutions.

  3. #3

    The goal was not just to bring scientists home. It was to use them while they remained abroad. CCP policy said they could “serve the country” through overseas research, technology transfers, recruiting foreign experts and building ties to foreign science groups.

  4. #4

    Yet Chu’s WRSA title appears nowhere in his Stanford biography. No senator asked him about it. He was confirmed—and given responsibility for America’s national laboratories and nuclear-weapons complex.

  5. #5

    As Energy Secretary, Chu began signing major deals with China. In 2009, he created a $150 million U.S.-China research center. Its agreement said intellectual property created together would be jointly owned—and let the two countries share technical information.

  6. #6

    In 2011, Chu signed another agreement to build a nuclear-security center in China. The U.S. supplied equipment and technical support for nuclear-material accounting, safeguards, security systems and training for protective forces.

  7. #7

    Years later, a Chinese state-owned giant placed Chu in a lucrative board seat. SEC filings say China Resources nominated him to Oatly’s board. Oatly reported $488,510 in fees and stock-compensation expense for Chu from 2021 until he stepped down in May 2024.

  8. #8

    I think the FBI should know about this. Read the full report and more like it here: NatalieGWinters.Substack.com