Bipartisan backlash erupts as Philadelphia raises Chinese flag

Philadelphia officials raised the Chinese flag over City Hall on Tuesday, triggering widespread criticism from lawmakers who argued it legitimizes the Chinese Community Party’s (CCP) authoritarian government. Driving the news: The flag-raising ceremony took place through the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which partnered with the Pennsylvania United Chinese Coalition and Greater Philadelphia Fujian Hometown Association to commemorate 76 years since the People’s Republic of China was established. To some, the event does not come as a surprise as Philadelphia has formal sister-city ties with the northern Chinese municipality of Tianjin, which is directly controlled by Beijing.