Ke recently helped found a new group, the Asian-Canadian Anti-Racism Alliance. Its initial members — announced at a virtual news conference for Toronto-area Chinese-language media — included the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO) and other groups friendly with Beijing. Not among them was the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter and Elimin8Hate, which collaborated on a report last month that documented a sharp rise in anti-Asian racism incidents.
Ke, an immigrant from Quanzhou, China, was a student cadre at his undergraduate university there, organized an overseas Chinese students society — a type of group often close with local consulates — at the German university where he did a Master’s degree, and in 2013 was chosen by the Toronto consulate to attend a training session in China for ethnic Chinese leaders from other countries.