J.J. Clemence Responds to False Claims About Cultural Exchange Meeting

SUGAR LAND, Texas — J.J. Clemence, Republican candidate for Fort Bend County Clerk, issued the following statement today addressing recent internet chatter about her participation in a cultural exchange meeting:

In December I joined other Fort Bend County leaders in welcoming a Chinese delegation traveling across America and Canada. Fort Bend County was one of their many stops. We documented the meeting publicly on social media so that all could see the work being done to promote the American way of life to people who requested to learn more. We hope they will return home and emulate the freedoms we have here in the United States. I believe people from other cultures are more likely to embrace American freedoms when they experience them firsthand.

My opponent and her supporters are now falsely claiming I am a member of the Chinese Communist Party through anonymous social media posts and misleading campaign materials.
I have never been a member of the CCP, nor am I an instrument of the Chinese government. These baseless accusations are the desperate tactics of a failing campaign from an opponent whose playbook is to divide our community rather than unite it.

In this election year, supporters of my opponent are untruthfully claiming that this meeting violated Texas House Bill 128, which prohibits governmental entities from establishing sister-city agreements with foreign adversaries. No sister-city agreement was established, maintained, or renewed. I served as an interpreter at a cultural exchange that lasted about an hour.
America has always been a beacon of hope to those who come seeking freedom, opportunity, and the American dream.

I came to the United States from China to study and earn my Master of Business Administration (MBA). I stayed because I fell in love with this country and everything it represents. I became a U.S. citizen because I strongly embraced American values.

For more than 20 years, I have served this community with distinction. Governor Greg Abbott appointed me to two state commissions. I’ve worked for Congressmen Troy Nehls and Pete Olson on community outreach. I serve Fort Bend ISD and built Harris County Public Health’s internal audit function to protect taxpayer dollars. I founded the Clemence Youth Foundation to help the children of Chinese immigrants born in America develop into responsible, engaged Americans. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, and investing in them is investing in our future.

Ronald Reagan believed that dialogue and understanding are the path forward. In America, we have the freedom to meet, speak, and exchange ideas. That openness is not universal and demonstrating it to those unfamiliar with the American way of life should not be stifled — it should be encouraged.
I am proud to be an American, and I believe, as Ronald Reagan believed, that peace is built not just on agreements but on “understanding between peoples.”

We should embrace the American way of life, promote it, and whenever possible demonstrate it to people from other parts of the world so they, too, can experience the ideals that make this nation a shining city on a hill.

I am running for Fort Bend County Clerk because I believe every family deserves a Clerk’s office that is modern, transparent, accurate, and community-centered — one that serves everyone in our beautifully diverse community with dignity and respect, regardless of where they were born.

For more information on my priorities, please visit https://clemencetx.com/