The Texas Governor Greg Abbott began this week by issuing three executive orders in three consecutive days, aimed, in his own words, at protecting Texans and the state’s infrastructure from “potential threats from the Chinese Communist Party.”

On Monday (November 18), Abbott signed Executive Order GA-47, “On Preventing Foreign Adversaries from Harassing or Coercing Texans.” On Tuesday (November 19) and Wednesday (November 20), he issued Executive Orders GA-48 and GA-49, respectively, on “Strengthening State Government” and “Protecting Critical Infrastructure.” According to the press releases accompanying the executive orders, all three orders are aimed at responding to threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

In Monday’s executive order, Abbott directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to investigate and arrest those who attempt to conduct influence operations on behalf of the Chinese government to repatriate dissidents to China. The executive order is considered a “Fox Hunt” against the Chinese government.

China’s “Fox Hunt” is a program launched nearly a decade ago, which Beijing describes as an operation to hunt down and punish fugitives. U.S. authorities believe that these operations sometimes constitute “transnational repression.” In these actions, the Chinese government sends agents to harass, threaten and silence critics living abroad, especially Chinese citizens or U.S. citizens with family members overseas.

“The Chinese Communist Party conducts a worldwide harassment campaign against Chinese dissidents in an attempt to forcibly repatriate them to China,” Abbott said in a press release for Monday’s executive order. “Texas will not tolerate the Chinese Communist Party or its malign agents harassing or coercing the more than 250,000 Chinese Americans who legally call Texas home.”

In Tuesday’s executive order, Abbott directed all state agencies and public institutions of higher education to harden systems to protect critical infrastructure, intellectual property and personal information from hostile foreign access seeking to infiltrate Texas.

Under the executive order, all state agencies and public institutions of higher education must begin requiring any company submitting a bid or proposal to certify that none of its holding companies or subsidiaries are owned by a foreign adversary government; implement stricter background check procedures for state employees and contractors with access to critical infrastructure; prohibit state employees from accepting gifts from foreign adversaries or traveling to adversary countries for work purposes; prohibit state agencies from contracting with companies owned or controlled by foreign adversary governments and prohibit higher education faculty and staff from participating in any foreign recruitment programs of foreign adversaries.

In the newly collated press release, Abbott said: “Our top priority is to protect Texans, including from espionage threats from the Chinese Communist Party and its proxies.”

He said the FBI reported that the Chinese government actively targets local and state officials as part of its strategy to undermine U.S. national security. Strengthening our state government is critical to protecting Texans from hostile foreign actors who may seek to undermine the security of Texas and the country. Through this executive order, Texas will protect our critical infrastructure and information from threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

The executive order signed by Abbott on Wednesday aims to protect Texas’ critical infrastructure from China and the Chinese Communist Party, directing the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) to prepare for potential threats to Texas’ critical infrastructure from hostile foreign governments or their proxies.

Under the executive order, the two departments will establish a working group to investigate potential vulnerabilities in state and local government and other critical infrastructure, provide recommendations to address vulnerabilities, simulate responses to cyber attacks on key sectors of the Texas economy, and recommend policies and best practices to prevent attacks and mitigate their effects. A committee of state agencies will also be convened to simulate the restart of the Texas power grid in the event of a foreign attack.

In a press release related to the executive order, Abbott said: “China has made it clear that they can and will target and attack critical infrastructure in the United States. Just last year, hostile Chinese government actors have targeted the United States’ communications, energy, transportation, water and wastewater systems, threatening our national security.”

“Some people have been targeted by China, the Chinese Communist Party, in a plan against the people of Texas,” Governor Abbott reiterated his executive order in an interview with FOX Business on Wednesday. He said, “We will arrest anyone who has links to the Chinese Communist Party, anyone who participates in this plan against Texans.”

He said Texas has the largest power grid and the largest oil field in the United States. “If our power grid is shut down by the Chinese Communist Party, it will be a complete disaster for the United States,” he said. “We must strengthen our assets and strengthen our ability to counter China and the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration of Texas.”

As of press time, the Texas Governor’s Office did not respond to reporters’ inquiries.

The Texas government will also work with local and federal authorities to evaluate incidents of harassment of Texans by foreign governments. Since January 2024, the FBI’s Houston office has been conducting operations against China’s cross-border oppression.

The FBI Houston branch posted on social media platform X on Monday, the same day that Governor Abbott issued an executive order, that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government may conduct cyber stalking, physical intimidation and harassment against Chinese citizens, naturalized American citizens and family members of dissidents living in Texas who have expressed opposition to the Chinese Communist Party. The tweet also said that if you are a victim of the CCP’s cross-border repression, you can call the FBI for help.

FBI Houston Office Spokesperson Connor Hagan responded to VOA’s inquiry: “We know that this activity is happening in our city and along the Gulf Coast of Texas,” Hagan said. “There is a record of the Chinese government harassing and intimidating its own citizens living in the United States. We also see them targeting naturalized citizens and citizens born in the United States who have family or other foreign relations overseas. Their actions violate U.S. laws and the personal rights and freedoms of the United States that we cherish.”

Hagan said that the FBI’s current actions include encouraging potential victims of cross-border oppression by the People’s Republic of China government in the Houston area to come forward and provide clues. However, due to the ongoing operation, it is inconvenient to disclose detailed data.

The U.S. Department of Justice has previously taken action against China’s “Fox Hunt Operation.” In June last year, a federal jury convicted three defendants of interstate tracking of Chinese citizens in the United States, two of whom acted on behalf of the People’s Republic of China or conspired to act.