In a letter photographed Feb. 13, 2022, Utah professor Taowen Le sent a letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in 2022 urging him to meet with a Chinese ambassador. Le is among China’s most vocal advocates in the state. An investigation found that China’s global influence campaign has been surprisingly robust and successful in Utah. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) 
A letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cascade Elementary School fourth grade students in early 2020, is photographed Feb. 13, 2023. China’s global influence campaign has blossom in Utah, where state officials were thrilled with Xi’s letter. It was heavily covered in Chinese state media, which quoted Utah students calling Xi a kind “grandpa” — a familiar trope in Chinese propaganda. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) 
Republican Utah State Sen. Curtis Bramble poses for a portrait at the Utah State Capitol on, Feb. 19, 2020, at the Utah State Capitol, in Salt Lake City. An investigation by the Associated Press has found that China and its U.S.-based advocates spent years building relationships with the Utah’s officials and lawmakers (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) 
FILE – Senate President Stuart Adams speaks with reporters on the opening day of the Utah Legislative Session at the Utah State Capitol on Jan. 17, 2023, in Salt Lake City. An investigation by the Associated Press has found that China and its U.S.-based advocates spent years building relationships with the Utah’s officials and lawmakers. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) 
Taowen Le, a Weber State University professor of information systems and technologies, iposes for a photo at Weber State University on Oct. 11, 2022, in Ogden, Utah. An investigation by the Associated Press has found that China and its U.S.-based advocates spent years building relationships with the Utah’s officials and lawmakers (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Amid strained US ties, China finds unlikely friend in Utah
