In Philadelphia,<\/a> we hoist many things, notably cheesesteaks, Super Bowl flags and occasionally ourselves on greased streetlight poles in moments of celebration. Historically, Philadelphians jubilantly lifted the first printed copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution fresh from John Dunlap\u2019s press. All of these raisings carried more than a little air of defiance against the sort of authoritarianism represented by the CCP.\u00a0<\/p>\n REPUBLICAN LEADER TARGETS TAX-EXEMPT STATUS OF CCP-LINKED NONPROFIT TIED TO VIOLENT PROTESTS<\/a><\/p>\n Yet as we prepare to celebrate our nation\u2019s 250th\u00a0anniversary<\/a> next year, that quintessential spirit of 1776 appears to be in jeopardy. Communist China has emerged under President Xi Jinping<\/a> as the polar opposite of everything Philadelphia has traditionally represented. The CCP is increasingly recognized as the single greatest national security threat<\/a> to the United States in the 21st\u00a0century.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this Oct. 25, 2017, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping waves while addressing the media as he introduced new members of the Politburo Standing Committee at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. The Chinese flag is in the background. (AP Photo\/Ng Han Guan)<\/p>\n The proposed event is being sponsored by the\u00a0Pennsylvania<\/a> United Chinese Coalition, which is part of a\u00a0network of such organizations\u00a0attempting to boost the CCP\u2019s reputation and reach within the U.S. under the guise of cultural exchange. But their website also reveals their staunch opposition to Taiwan\u2019s independence<\/a> and their commitment to “peaceful” cross-strait unification.\u00a0<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/a><\/p>\n The flag-raising has been justified as a demonstration of support for Philadelphia\u2019s strong and vibrant Chinese community, but it is no such thing. The city already has appropriate celebrations for Chinese Philadelphians, notably the Lantern Festival highlighting traditional culture that has become so popular it is now an annual event that benefits the upkeep of Philadelphia landmarks.\u00a0<\/p>\n XI JINPING HAILS ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ CHINA AS TRUMP ACCUSES BEIJING OF CONSPIRING AGAINST US<\/a><\/p>\n Even more discordantly, many Chinese Americans are in Philadelphia because they wanted the freedom and opportunity denied to them by the CCP. Very few such individuals seem to have much interest in celebrating the regime that persecuted them, let alone returning to China. This flag-raising is at best a veiled insult to them and at worst a chilling reminder that the CCP is here in the city where they found refuge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just because the raising of the CCP flag has happened before is no justification for doing it again this year of all years. Whatever hopes there might have been for cultural or economic exchange in the past, we can harbor no such illusions about what such outreach from China means now.\u00a0<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n Less than a mile from City Hall \u2014 the site of the proposed CCP flag-raising \u2014 Betsy Ross stitched the first American flag<\/a> in a small house on Arch Street, legendarily at the direct request of George Washington. The Stars and Stripes was then adopted by the nascent United States on June 14, 1777, and was proudly flown during the Revolutionary War that brought us our independence. Almost adjacent to Betsy Ross\u2019s house is the site of Dunlap\u2019s press that disseminated the Declaration of Independence<\/a> in 1776 and the Constitution in 1788.\u00a0<\/p>\n At this critical moment in America\u2019s history, we are both approaching our semiquincentennial (we might as well learn to pronounce that now) and coming to grips with the threat posed to us by China. Rather than defiling this sacred ground, this birthplace of liberty, by bending the knee to Beijing, Philadelphia\u2019s Office of Immigrant Affairs would do much better to reject any request to raise aloft an odious symbol of communist oppression and instead gather all Philadelphians together for a celebration of that timeless symbol of liberty: the American flag.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Rich Zeoli is the host of “The Rich Zeoli Show” in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/china1.jpg\")
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