


Several Republican members of the state Assembly are on a surprise trip to meet with Chinese Communist Party officials.
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay was among several New York Republicans posing for a photo-op holding a banner reading “New York State Assembly Legislature and Business Friendship Delegation to China.”
“The Assembly delegation was scheduled to meet with foreign ministers, dignitaries, economic development and education officials,” Barclay spokesman Mike Fraser told The Post.
Fraser said the trip was paid for by the American Chinese Commerce Association.
“New York City is home to the largest Chinese American population in the US and thousands of Americans travel to the Far East every day,” Fraser said.
“With one of the world’s largest economies, this visit was an opportunity for state representatives to speak directly to their counterparts overseas.”
The delegation included Brooklyn Assemblymen Lester Chang and Michael Novakhov and Staten Island Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, all Republicans.
The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the trip.