FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., gubernatorial campaign continues to be bankrolled by Keliang «Clay» Zhu despite concerns over his ties to China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

Zhu donated another $25,000 to Swalwell’s campaign earlier this month after he had already donated $5,000 to Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign in November and previously donated over $10,000 to his House campaigns. 

Zhu is a partner at DeHeng Law Offices PC, a top Beijing law firm that has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and has also donated thousands to Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign. The law firm’s website shows their lone «Silicon Valley Office,» located in Pleasanton, Calif., appears to only have a single lawyer who works there – Zhu, who has a history of fighting for Chinese interests in the U.S.  

«Once again, Congressman Swalwell got caught with his hand in the CCP cookie jar,» lamented Michael Lucci, a top China expert and the founder and CEO of State Armor Action. «It’s simply outrageous that Congressman Swallwell would take even more money from Keliang Zhu after Zhu’s connections to the CCP were made public.»

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A Fox News Digital review in January revealed that the law firm Zhu is a partner in was founded as the China Law Office, which was a subsidiary firm established by the CCP’s Ministry of Justice in the early 1990s before being renamed the DeHeng Law Offices in 1995. 

While the firm, which has over two dozen offices in China, portrays itself as independent, the firm and its lawyers continue to have longstanding cooperation with the Chinese government’s departments and major state-owned enterprises. Many of the firm’s China-based attorneys also have a history of working in Chinese politics.

Zhu, who is originally from China, touts several examples of how he has helped Chinese state-owned enterprises and other Chinese companies get a foothold in the United States, according to his bio on the law firm’s website. 

For example, he touts representing an «investment fund of a major state-owned enterprise in acquiring majority shares in one data analytics software company in the Silicon Valley,» which he valued at $100 million. Another bio for Zhu touts how he «has assisted Chinese companies and funds to complete more than $9 billion investments in the fields of chips, unmanned vehicles, new energy, artificial intelligence, industrial automation, and biopharmaceuticals in the United States.»

«On behalf of Chinese enterprises, he has negotiated with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Treasury and other organizations for many times and achieved compliance plans, which greatly reduced the compliance risks for Chinese clients in the United States,» the bio continued.

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The bios also indicate Zhu helped advise «a governmental investment fund from Shenzhen for its compliance with CFIUS regulations in the U.S.» and represented «WeChat users in a historic lawsuit that sued President Trump and successfully stopped his WeChat ban in 2020.» 

At the time, Trump’s first administration sounded the alarm over WeChat and said the «data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information» and was concerned that the CCP would use data to stalk dissenters or control messaging inside the United States, such as launching disinformation campaigns. Similar efforts to restrict WeChat have occurred in countries like Australia and India, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit intended to stop a Texas law banning Chinese nationals from owning or leasing land in the state, Zhu described the legislation as «unfair, unconstitutional and un-American,» according to AsAmNews, a daily news site focused on Asian-American and Pacific-Islander communities. Zhu similarly expressed disfavor with a Florida law meant to prevent individuals from countries that are foreign adversaries to the United States, such as China, from buying up land.

Chinese land grabs in the United States have been an ongoing concern for lawmakers. Currently, Congress is considering multiple bills related to the matter, while almost two dozen states have already passed legislation to implement changes around foreign land purchases in their states. (Getty Images)

DeHeng Law Office’s other China-based attorneys have a history of working in Chinese politics as well. This has largely been through the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is a «key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation» under the leadership of the CCP, according to the CPPCC website, and is a crucial tool of the United Front strategy to influence U.S. policy.

For example, Zhixu Wu, who is a «Director and Senior Partner» of the Kunming, China-based office of DeHeng Law Offices, is a member of the «Standing Committee of the 13th Kunming Committee of the CPPCC» and a member «of the 12th Yunnan Committee of the CPPCC.» His bio also says he was previously awarded in 2017 with «the title of ‘Excellent League Member’ for the second assistance event of the National Lawyers Service Group,» which was approved by the «Eight Bureau of United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee, Guidance Department of Lawyer’s Notarization Work of the Ministry of Justice.»

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Swalwell’s ties to China have come under scrutiny before, particularly after Chinese national, Christine Fang, also known as «Fang Fang,» gained special access to him and his campaign. She was deemed by U.S. officials to be part of a counterintelligence effort linked to China meant to influence and get close to U.S. political figures.

Swalwell has repeatedly claimed he cut off ties as soon as U.S. intelligence officials warned him of the threat and a congressional ethics investigation into the matter eventually found no wrongdoing on Swalwell’s behalf. However, he was ultimately removed by Republicans from his post on the House Intelligence Committee, with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy citing Swalwell’s past run-in with a suspected Chinese spy.

Fox News Digital uncovered a previously unreported 2013 Facebook post by China’s San Francisco consulate last month showing Swalwell touting «great potential» for U.S.-China cooperation during a meeting with a senior CCP diplomat early in his career, which came during the same time period when Swalwell was allegedly targeted by Chinese espionage efforts.

The Facebook post was also «liked» by Fang Fang, Fox News Digital’s review found.

Then-freshman member of Congress Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., seen posing in a photo with Deputy Consul General at China’s Bay Area consulate in San Francisco Song Ru’an in 2013. (Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco)

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«First, Swalwell had a fiery romance with Fang Fang, a CCP honeypot. Then he was caught taking campaign money from China’s favorite big law firm. Congressman Swalwell is either totally oblivious to the dangers of flirting with CCP operatives, or he doesn’t care and would take a check from Xi Jinping himself,» Lucci told Fox News Digital. «Congress should pass a law to prohibit campaign cash from Communist China before Swalwell’s sweet tooth has him hunting for another CCP honey pot or cookie jar.»

Neither the Swalwell campaign, DeHeng Law Offices nor Zhu responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

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The State Department is allowing non-essential personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to leave Israel ahead of possible strikes on Iran. The embassy announced the decision early Friday morning and said that «in response to security incidents and without advance notice» it could place further restrictions on where U.S. government employees can travel within Israel.

The decision came after meetings and phone calls through the night Thursday into Friday, according to The New York Times, which reviewed a copy of an email that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sent to embassy workers.

The Times reported that the ambassador said in his email that the move was a result of «an abundance of caution» and that those wishing to leave «should do so TODAY.» He reportedly urged them to look for flights out of Ben Gurion Airport to any destination, cautioning that the embassy’s move «will likely result in high demand for airline seats today.»

In the email, Huckabee also said that there was «no need to panic,» but he underscored that those looking to leave should «make plans to depart sooner rather than later,» the Times reported.

«Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to D.C., but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country,» Huckabee said in the email, according to the Times.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Israel, arrives to testify during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Mar. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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The embassy reiterated the State Department’s advisory for U.S. citizens to reconsider traveling to Israel and the West Bank «due to terrorism and civil unrest.» Additionally, the department advised that U.S. citizens not travel to Gaza because of terrorism and armed conflict, as well as northern Israel, particularly within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders because of «continued military presence and activity.» 

It also recommended that U.S. citizens not travel within 1.5 miles of the Egyptian border, with the exception of the Taba crossing, which remains open.

«Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,» the embassy said in its warning. «The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning.»

Israeli and U.S. flags are placed on the road leading to the U.S. consulate in the Jewish neighborhood of Arnona, on the East-West Jerusalem line in Jerusalem, May 9, 2018. (Corinna Kern/picture alliance via Getty Images)

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While the embassy did not specifically mention Iran in its warning, it referenced «increased regional tensions» that could «cause airlines to cancel and/or curtail flights into and out of Israel.»

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the White House for comment on this matter.

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En los últimos años empezó a circular, en el ámbito literario y crítico, una expresión que despierta curiosidad: “ficción reparadora”. No designa un género ni una moda pasajera, sino una manera de entender para qué sirve contar historias. La idea es sencilla y, al mismo tiempo, potente: hay relatos que no solo representan el dolor o el conflicto, sino que trabajan sobre ellos, los transforman simbólicamente y ofrecen una experiencia de elaboración. En lugar de limitarse a mostrar la herida, intentan intervenirla desde la imaginación.

No se trata de un género con reglas fijas ni de una fórmula de autoayuda encubierta, sino de una sensibilidad narrativa: historias que parten de una pérdida, una decepción o una crisis vital y acompañan a sus personajes en un proceso de recomposición. En un presente saturado de distopías y relatos de colapso, estas ficciones eligen otro foco: no negar la oscuridad, pero sí explorar cómo se reconstruye una vida después del quiebre.

Un ejemplo es La tienda de los deseos, de Hiyoko Kurisu, donde una tienda aparentemente común en un barrio japonés ofrece algo más que objetos: cada artículo, mínimo y cotidiano, habilita a sus clientes a revisar heridas íntimas y ensayar cambios posibles. En la misma línea, Mis días en la librería Morisaki, de Satoshi Yagisawa, sitúa la reparación en el corazón de una librería de Tokio: entre estanterías y cafés, los vínculos inesperados y la hospitalidad del mundo del libro se convierten en una forma de recomenzar. En ambos casos, la ficción no promete milagros; propone algo más verosímil y acaso más poderoso: la posibilidad de volver a armarse, página a página.

La “ficción reparadora”, originaria de Japón y Corea, ha captado el interés de importantes casas editoras en Estados Unidos y Reino Unido, que han acelerado la adquisición de derechos y la publicación de títulos similares tras el crecimiento exponencial de lectores en los últimos años.

Este tipo de ficción ocupa un lugar destacado en las listas de best sellers, con ventas superiores a 3 millones de ejemplares solo en mercados angloparlantes para series como Antes de que se enfríe el café de Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

El organismo público coreano Literature Translation Institute informó que 150 obras coreanas se publicaron en español entre 2001 y 2024, la mayoría en el último lustro. Destacadas editoras, como Shannon DeVito de Barnes & Noble y Sara Nelson de Harper, consideran que este fenómeno representa el mayor boom de narrativa traducida desde el auge del noir escandinavo, apoyado por la acción concertada de libreros, agentes de derechos y plataformas digitales.

El modelo editorial se orienta a capitalizar la demanda de libros que funcionen como refugio emocional, impulsando la publicación masiva de títulos inéditos en español e inglés, así como lanzamientos y reediciones notables como La asombrosa tienda de la señora Yeom de Kim Ho-Yeon, que acumula más de 1 millón de copias vendidas y ha sido traducida a 23 idiomas, y El misterio de la lavandería de Yeonnam-dong de Kim Jiyun, que alcanzó 18 reediciones antes de su adaptación musical.

En la Argentina, ya se está escribiendo el género. Por ejemplo, la periodista y escritora Silvia Cordano -que es coautora de Nuestras Mujeres de Malvinas- por estos días está presentando los relatos de Las acuarelas prodigiosas.

Las novelas que se agrupan bajo la etiqueta de ficción reparadora se distinguen por tramas centradas en escenarios cotidianos —cafeterías, librerías, lavanderías o tiendas de barrio— y abordan conflictos emocionales, como la soledad, el duelo o la culpa, desde la contención y la empatía más que desde la intensidad dramática. El componente mágico realista aparece de forma recurrente: cafeterías donde se puede viajar en el tiempo, gatos sanadores, tiendas que venden sueños y librerías cuyas recomendaciones pretenden transformar vidas.

Editoras como Elena Ramírez de Planeta y Anik Lapointe de Salamandra describen este tipo de literatura como una narrativa de detalles sin sobresaltos, centrada en el bienestar y el valor de la comunidad frente a la incertidumbre global.

Estos títulos suelen tener estructura episodica y breve, favoreciendo la lectura en dispositivos móviles, y se destinan a un público joven-adulto, especialmente mujeres de 18 a 35 años, aunque el alcance se expande a adolescentes gracias a la penetración de la cultura coreana y japonesa en el entretenimiento masivo.

El protagonismo de los libros, la comida y los gatos —elemento visual utilizado por editoriales en portadas, aunque no siempre central— refuerza la construcción de marca y contribuye a la viralización de estas obras en redes sociales y espacios destacados de librerías.

La difusión masiva de la ficción reparadora tiene su raíz en la viralización en TikTok e Instagram, como demuestran los vídeos vinculados a la saga de Kawaguchi, que superan los 28 millones de visualizaciones y han llevado a sellos como Hanover Square Press, Sunmark, Planeta, Plaza & Janés y Duomo a redoblar la apuesta por el género. Los eventos de firmas en ciudades como Nueva York, Toronto, Los ángeles o Dubái reflejan la dimensión internacional y la capacidad de estas historias para movilizar lectores y ventas en mercados muy distintos.

Un factor central en la expansión ha sido el papel de la traducción y la intermediación editorial. Según fuentes periodísticas, la preferencia por títulos japoneses en Reino Unido es tal que el 43 % de los libros traducidos más vendidos provinieron de Japón. El español ya es el sexto idioma con mayor recepción de obras coreanas, superando los 150 títulos en 25 años, con crecimiento acelerado desde la pandemia.

La respuesta de editoriales como Berkley (Penguin Random House) y HarperOne (HarperCollins) ha impulsado la publicación de secuelas y spin-offs ligados a best sellers recientes, incluyendo adaptaciones rápidas de fenómenos como Te receto un gato de Syou Ishida y Mis días en la librería Morisaki de Satoshi Yagisawa.

El auge de la ficción reparadora es reflejo del renovado interés global por la cultura japonesa y coreana, alimentado por el éxito transversal del K-pop, los K-dramas, el manga y el anime, así como el reconocimiento de la creatividad empática presente en estas narrativas.

Directivos como Jaekwang Shin del Centro Cultural Coreano en España han trazado paralelismos históricos y sociales entre estas culturas y sus mercados editoriales de referencia, mientras responsables de librerías independientes, como Andrea Stefanoni en Madrid y Jessica Callahan en Estados Unidos, han comprobado el aumento del interés y la capacidad de estas historias para atraer nuevos lectores.