China is increasingly targeting American state and local officials in influence operations designed to further the objectives of the ruling Communist Party, according to a new report by a U.S. counterintelligence agency. China’s government invests heavily in conducting covert and overt influence operations targeting the United States through the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department, the report said. The efforts are continuing to focus on Washington, including lobbying against a major competitiveness bill targeting China.