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46-556: In 1993, the Splendid China theme park was opened as a sister park to Splendid China Folk Village located in Shenzhen , Guangdong province, People's Republic of China . The park closed in 2003 after struggling to attract visitors and make a profit for years. The 75 acre park sat abandoned until 2013, when the owners demolished the entire property. In August 2015, Encore Homes reported that Margaritaville Resort would open on

92-520: A prototype park, "Splendid China Miniature Scenic Spot", in Shenzhen, China operated by China Travel Service (CTS). This park is close to Hong Kong. 3.5 million people visited the park during the first year. CTS recouped its US$ 100 million investment during this first year. She negotiated an agreement with CTS, controlled by Overseas Chinese Affairs Office , under the China National Tourism Administration . Under

138-523: A rash of attacks from thieves and vandals. Hundreds of items were taken ranging from small miniatures to portions of life-size statues. The perpetrators, thought to be local youths, were never caught. The property has passed through several owners and in July 2009 was up for sale at an asking price of $ 30 million. On May 9, 2013, the new owners started to tear down the park. In August 2015, Encore Homes reported that Margaritaville Resort would open on

184-483: A result, efforts to address foreign influence have generally avoided censorship in favor of transparency. Only in 1917, shortly after the U.S. entered World War I , did Congress make the first formal attempts to regulate or restrict foreign lobbying, taking into consideration measures that would require foreign agents to publicly disclose their advocacy and prohibiting noncitizen residents from acting as foreign agents without prior government permission. In response to

230-451: A shift from the law's initial focus on criminal prosecution, as the number of successful civil cases and administrative resolutions increased since that time. In 1995, the term "political propaganda" was removed from Subsection 611 following the 1987 Supreme Court case, Meese v. Keene , in which a California State Senator wanted to distribute three films from Canada about acid rain and nuclear war but felt his reputation would be harmed if

276-622: Is a United States law that imposes public disclosure obligations on persons representing foreign interests . It requires "foreign agents"—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons ("foreign principals")—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation. FARA does not prohibit lobbying for foreign interests, nor does it ban or restrict any specific activities. Its explicit purpose

322-503: Is a 12-acre, $ 40 million water park located within the resort. The water park is the first of its kind, being focused around social media. Guests have the ability to sync their wristband to the park's app to capture photos and videos throughout their day, control the streaming playlist for the park-wide music, and interact with games and other experiences to win food and other prizes. The water park features 14 attractions, 3 food and beverage locations, and one merchandise location. Sunset Walk

368-493: Is a 200,000 square foot shopping center located near the entrance of the resort featuring 24 shops and restaurants. 1,000 residential units consisting of cottages, vacation homes, condos, and timeshare units are planned for the property ranging from one to eight bedrooms. Splendid China (Florida) Splendid China was a theme park in Four Corners, Florida . It opened in 1993 and closed on December 31, 2003. It

414-455: Is instigated from foreign countries and attacks the principle of the form of government as guaranteed by our Constitution, and (3) all other questions in relation thereto that would aid Congress in any necessary remedial legislation." Pursuant to the findings and recommendations of the committee, FARA was enacted in 1938 to target foreign propaganda and political subversion, particularly from Nazi sources abroad; foreign agents were implicated by

460-604: Is to promote transparency with respect to foreign influence over American public opinion, policy, and laws; to that end, the DOJ is required to make information concerning foreign agents' registrations and their disclosed activities on behalf of foreign principals publicly available. FARA was enacted in 1938 primarily to counter Nazi propaganda , with an initial focus on criminal prosecution of subversive activities; since 1966, enforcement has shifted mostly to civil penalties and voluntary compliance. For most of its existence, FARA

506-779: The Leshan Buddha was four stories tall. In December 1993, the American partners were bought out by the Chinese government. In May 1996, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the President, General Manager, and Senior Vice-president for Entertainment were replaced in what was described as a 'big management shakeup'. In July 1996, the Orlando Business Journal reported that Florida Splendid China

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552-709: The Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington, D.C. in 1981 and the prohibition against fundraising within the United States on behalf of certain violent groups opposed to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process . The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 prohibits, among other activities, domestic fundraising that benefits foreign organizations designated by the United States as terrorist. Although

598-720: The White House , and federal agencies , many of whom were not registered under FARA. Following a spike in public attention, registrations, and prominent cases in 2016, Foreign Affairs magazine declared, "FARA is no longer a forgotten and oft ignored piece of New Deal –era reforms. Eight decades after being enacted, FARA is finally worth the paper it was written on." The Act requires periodic disclosure of all activities and finances by: Organizations under such foreign control can include political agents, public relations counsel, publicity agents, information-service employees, political consultants, fundraisers or those who represent

644-535: The rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany, the House created the Special Committee on Un-American Activities to address the growing concerns about foreign propaganda in the U.S. The committee was tasked with conducting investigations into three issues: "(1) the extent, character, and objects of Nazi propaganda activities in the United States, (2) the diffusion within the United States of subversive propaganda that

690-725: The 11th demonstration against perceived Chinese Communist Party propaganda in the Tibetan, Mongolian and Eastern Turkestan exhibits, five college students sat down and closed the front gate Florida Splendid China while a large crowd of demonstrators watched. On April 19, 1996, the Representative Assembly of the 1996 Florida Teaching Professionals-NEA State Conference in Orlando passed a resolution to ban personal or school trips to Florida Splendid China by its members. The resolution passed overwhelmingly. In October 1997,

736-716: The Act to define foreign principals under the Act to only be foreign governments or political parties or those operating on their behalf, as well as amend the current broad and unclear agency definition in FARA to instead mimic the Restatement of the Law of Agency, Third definition. In July 2020, Attorney General William Barr warned U.S. companies and executives that advocating on behalf of Chinese government interests may violate FARA requirements. In November 2021, Reuters reported that

782-399: The Act was amended and narrowed to emphasize agents actually working with foreign powers who sought economic or political advantage by influencing governmental decision-making. The amendments shifted the focus of the law from propaganda to political lobbying and narrowed the meaning of "foreign agent." Consequently, an individual or organization could not be placed in the FARA database unless

828-588: The Act. Among the most prominent are: FARA is one of several federal statutes aimed at persons called foreign agents. The Taiwan Relations Act and the Compact of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands authorize the exemption of otherwise covered agents. Additionally, there have been laws targeting specific foreign agents, such as the closure of

874-881: The American Zionist Council to register as a foreign agent under FARA because it was funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel and thereby acting on behalf of Israel; the Department of Justice later withdrew its demand. A 2023 article in The Nation stated that FARA "has been used as a tool to go after such anti-war and human rights organizations as the Irish Northern Aid Committee , the Committee in Solidarity with

920-543: The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) within the DOJ's National Security Division (NSD). Since 2016, there has been a 30 percent increase in registrations; as of November 2022, there were over 500 active foreign agents registered with the FARA Unit. Foreign influence over American politics has been a recurring concern since the nation's founding. In 1796, prior to his retirement from

966-520: The Department of Justice to register the lobby under the Act. The 2005 case, United States v. Franklin, Rosen, and Weissman , against United States Department of Defense employee Larry Franklin , AIPAC policy director Steven Rosen , and AIPAC senior Iran analyst Keith Weissman , raised the possibility that AIPAC would come under greater scrutiny by the Department of Justice. While Franklin pleaded guilty to passing government secrets to Rosen and Weissman, as well as to an Israeli government official,

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1012-625: The Far East Economic Review reported that Florida Splendid China was losing $ 9 million a year. A group called Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda (CACCP) staged several protests at the park against perceived Chinese Communist Party propaganda in the Mongolian and Tibetan exhibits. In November 1995, the Pinellas County, Florida school board voted to ban trips to Florida Splendid China. In March 1996, at

1058-627: The Justice Department with civil investigative demand authority to better enforce the Act, and to eliminate the Lobbying Disclosure Act exemption to improve compliance. The Department of Justice has also proposed expanding civil enforcement under the statute. Nonprofits have complained that the broad definitions in FARA can capture much routine nonprofit activity, requiring them to potentially register as foreign agents. In response, there have been proposals to amend

1104-850: The People of El Salvador , and Palestine Information Office . [I]n 2018, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Natural Resources initiated FARA inquiries against four environmental advocacy organizations, including Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council ". The American Zionist Council was reorganized as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In 1988 former Senator William Fulbright and former senior CIA official Victor Marchetti unsuccessfully petitioned

1150-463: The U.S. government's commitment "'Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence'". Notwithstanding deeply rooted anxieties about foreign interference in American politics, it is not illegal for Americans to advocate for foreign governments or interests. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution enshrines the right to petition the government , including through political lobbying , and makes no distinction between citizens and noncitizens. As

1196-475: The United States, they were replaced by local performers. Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda criticized the Chinese government's ownership of Splendid China; the state-owned corporation China Travel Service owned and operated the theme park. The original idea for the Florida Splendid China theme park was that of Josephine Chen, a former educator from Taiwan. In 1988, Chen toured

1242-604: The act was designed to apply to any foreign agent, it has been accused of being used to target countries out of favor with a given administration. This was alleged by the Irish Northern Aid Committee in legal filings. In the 1980s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted operations against the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) allegedly based on selective enforcement of FARA. It has been noted that during

1288-476: The agreement, Chen supplied the land and management services, while CTS would construct the building, and supply non-management personnel. On December 19, 1989, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the start of construction for Florida Splendid China. The park's replica of the Great Wall took nearly seven million 1-inch (25 mm) long bricks and stretched about .5 miles (0.80 km). The replica of

1334-575: The basis that it lacked the resources and personnel; consequently, authority over enforcing the act was transferred to the Department of Justice in 1942. A "Foreign Agents Registration Section" was created within the DOJ's newly established War Division during World War II , and a total of 23 criminal cases were prosecuted on the basis of FARA. Following the end of the war in 1945, enforcement of FARA declined significantly: Only two indictments were brought between 1945 and 1955, followed by nine "failure to file" indictments between 1955 and 1962. In 1966

1380-531: The brother of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet (Takster Rinpoche), attended the 20th demonstration at Florida Splendid China to commemorate the 48th anniversary of takeover of Eastern Turkestan. In December 1999, CACCP held the 32nd demonstration at the main gate of Florida Splendid China to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Grand Opening. In May 2000, the Orlando Business Journal reported that Sunny Yang, Florida Splendid China president, confirmed that

1426-569: The cases against Rosen and Weissman were dismissed and no actions against AIPAC were instituted. Leaked documents from the Israeli ministry of Justice revealed that in 2018 the ministry was concerned that compliance with FARA would damage the reputation of Israeli-directed American groups, and that political donors would be reluctant to fund them if registered under the law. The ministry thus sought legal advice on FARA from law firm Sandler Reiff , from 2018 through at least 2022. The proposed solution

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1472-477: The films were to be classified officially as "political propaganda." The court affirmed an earlier lower court ruling in favor of one of the film's distributors in Block v. Meese . The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 provided exemptions under FARA for certain agents who register with Congress and are thereby permitted to lobby the legislative and executive branches directly. An online database of FARA registrants

1518-753: The foreign power before any agency or official of the United States government. The law does not include news or press services not owned by the foreign principal. It also provides explicit exemptions for organizations engaged in "religious, scholastic, academic, or scientific pursuits or of the fine arts," as well as for those "not serving predominantly a foreign interest." Examples of organizations lobbying on behalf of foreign governments are DMP International , Flynn Intel Group , DLA Piper , Dickens & Madson Canada, Invest Northern Ireland , Japan National Tourism Organization , Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, and Ketchum Inc. There have been several dozen criminal prosecutions and civil cases under

1564-573: The former Splendid China site, with resort homes and condos and in Jimmy Buffett themed setting. By March 2016, there was nothing left of the park as construction had begun for the new Margaritaville resort. The former park is located on a parcel of the southern and eastern property of the resort bordering Fins Up Circle, Formosa Gardens Blvd. and Funie Steed Rd. Foreign Agents Registration Act The Foreign Agents Registration Act ( FARA ) ( 22 U.S.C.   § 611 et seq. )

1610-484: The former Splendid China site, with resort homes, condos and timeshares in a Jimmy Buffett themed setting. In March 2016, construction began on Margaritaville Resort Orlando. The $ 90 million, 187-room Margaritaville Hotel is located at the entrance of the resort. The hotel features multiple suites a fitness center, spa, kids club, 3-acre resort-style swimming area, trolley service around the resort, and complimentary shuttles to nearby Orlando theme parks. Island H2O Live!

1656-462: The government proved that they were acting "at the order, request, or under the direction or control, of a foreign principal" and proved that the alleged foreign agent engaged "in political activities for or in the interests of such foreign principal," including by "represent[ing] the interests of such foreign principal before any agency or official of the Government of the United States." Due to

1702-421: The greater burden of proof placed on the government, until 2015, there only seven criminal prosecutions under FARA, none of which resulted in a conviction. However, a civil injunctive remedy also was added to allow the Department of Justice to warn individuals and entities of possible violations of the Act, ensuring more voluntary compliance while making it clear when the law has been violated. This has resulted in

1748-449: The law regardless of whether they were acting "for or on behalf of" those interests. The law would not ban such activities but instead require that individuals engaged in propaganda on behalf of foreign governments and principals register with the government and disclose information about their clients, activities, and contract terms. Enforcement of the act was assigned to the Department of State , which opposed having such responsibility on

1794-481: The presidency, George Washington warned about foreign nations seeking to influence both the American government and the public, namely through local "tools and dupes". As early as 1808, the House of Representatives sought to investigate U.S. Army General James Wilkinson over allegations that he was a Spanish spy. In 1852, a joint resolution was introduced in Congress that invoked Washington's warning and reaffirmed

1840-417: The property was about to be sold. Additionally, sources closely related to the attraction had said that the park was to be sold and closed. In November 2000, the Orlando Business Journal reported that amid allegations of financial mismanagement, the former president (Sunny Yang) of the struggling Splendid China attraction has been sent back to mainland China. After closing its gates, Splendid China suffered

1886-573: The same period it investigated CISPES, the FBI ignored possible FARA violations such as Soldier of Fortune magazine running back cover advertisements to help the Rhodesian national army recruit fighters. In the 1950s President Eisenhower's administration repeatedly demanded that leaders of the American Zionist Council register as "agents of a foreign government." In November 1962 Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy 's Department of Justice ordered

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1932-399: Was a sister park to the Splendid China in Shenzhen , China, and cost $ 100 million to build. It was a 75-acre (30 ha) miniature park with more than 60 replicas at a one-tenth scale at its height of popularity. Each piece was handcrafted to maintain authenticity. Initially, Chinese artists were hired to perform in the park. After a number of them tried to seek political asylum in

1978-406: Was added by the Department of Justice . In 2004 the Justice Department stated that the FARA Unit's database for tracking foreign lobbyists was in disrepair; by 2007, it launched an online database which can be used by the public to search filings and current reports. That same year, the DOJ reported that there were approximately 1,700 lobbyists representing more than 100 countries before Congress,

2024-598: Was changing their name to "Chinatown." In August 1996, the Orlando Business Journal reported that marketing department of Florida Splendid China had shrunk by 5 positions. In March 1998, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda asked Attorney General Janet Reno and the US Department of Justice to investigate Florida Splendid China for violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act . In May 1999,

2070-673: Was for Israel to create and fund a new American nonprofit organization that would be informally managed by the Israeli government. There have been proposals to reform FARA to both improve its enforcement and modernize its provisions. In September 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General released an audit of the National Security Division's enforcement of FARA. The audit noted that NSD officials had proposed amending FARA to provide

2116-459: Was relatively obscure and rarely invoked; since 2017, the law has been enforced with far greater regularity and intensity, particularly against officials connected to the Trump administration . Subsequent high-profile indictments and convictions under FARA have prompted greater public, political, and legal scrutiny, including calls for reform. FARA is administered and enforced by the FARA Unit of

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