Exclusive – Rep. Lance Gooden, Republicans Urge U.S. Olympic Committee to Block Athletes from Using Digital Yuan

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) and House Republicans urged the U.S. Olympic Committee to bar American athletes from using the digital yuan during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.

Reps. Gooden, Lisa McClain (R-MI), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Jake Ellzey (R-TX)  wrote to the sporting body urging it to refrain from using the digital yuan, or the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) central bank digital currency (CBDC), contending it could lead to increased surveillance of American athletes.

“China is the primary adversary of the United States with a long track record of surveilling American citizens,” Gooden told Breitbart News in a statement. “The United States Olympic Committee should take every precaution to protect the privacy of American athletes from the communist Chinese government.”

The lawmakers wrote:

The digital yuan is entirely controlled by the PBOC, and can be tracked and traced by the central bank. The digital yuan has been in the works since 2014, but only recently has the Chinese government released key features regarding the digital currency, including the ability of the government to know the exact details of what someone purchased and where.

[…]

While the Chinese Communist Party insists their efforts are aimed at digitizing bank notes and coins, Olympic athletes should be aware that the digital yuan may be used to surveil Chinese citizens and those visiting China on an unprecedented scale, with the hopes that they will maintain digital yuan wallets on their smartphones and continue to use it upon return. The integration of China’s digital currency into global commerce has many problematic privacy implications. 

Gooden and the lawmakers noted that China’s expansion of the digital yuan is especially concerning considering that the Chinese Communist Party suppresses the Uyghur minority and the people of Hong Kong. They wrote:

These concerns are especially pronounced given the Chinese Communist Party’s use of new and emerging technologies to suppress the Uyghur minority, the people of Hong Kong, and those across China who strive for freedom of expression. These concerns are not hypothetical. Rather, digital payment platforms such as WeChat, are already being used to surveil, threaten, and arrest Chinese citizens.²

The lawmakers’ letter follows a similar letter led by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).

The senators wrote to the Olympic committee, “It is paramount the USOPC works with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Commerce to protect the privacy of American athletes from the Chinese Communist Government.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.