{"id":71920,"date":"2022-04-13T11:30:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T01:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=71920"},"modified":"2022-04-13T11:29:33","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T01:29:33","slug":"how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"How China\u2019s united front system works overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Led by United Front Work Departments of Chinese Communist Party committees at each echelon of government, the united front system is a complex and opaque set of organisations<\/a> designed to advance the CCP\u2019s influence in industry and civil society. Within China, the united front system has several responsibilities, which range from repressing<\/a> ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang to grooming members of China\u2019s minor political parties<\/a> to take up positions in government.<\/p>\n

But in addition to its extensive activities inside the country, the united front system acts as a liaison and amplifier for many other official and unofficial Chinese organisations engaged in shaping international public opinion of China, monitoring and reporting on the activities of the Chinese diaspora, and serving as access points for foreign technology transfer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many Chinese government-affiliated agencies that are not directly part of<\/a> the united front system also work to advance the CCP\u2019s influence abroad. A recent study<\/a> by Sinopsis demonstrates the involvement of entities from united front, propaganda, trade, foreign affairs and intelligence agencies in CCP influence work, indicating that it\u2019s not centralised in one specific, dedicated organ.<\/p>\n

This article, however, focuses narrowly on the united front system and its foreign-facing role, and highlights examples of its activities in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

One of the united front system\u2019s most important tasks is to shape international public opinion of China\u2014through both elite capture<\/a> and public diplomacy. Sometimes, this influence is exercised overtly. In January 2022, for example, the United Kingdom\u2019s security service warned<\/a> that a solicitor affiliated with the united front system had donated \u00a3420,000 to a British MP. In other cases, united front affiliates have offered foreign politicians campaign contributions<\/a>, engaged directly in lobbying<\/a> and made significant investments in overseas media outlets.<\/p>\n

More often, however, the united front system prefers to operate with some plausible deniability, by funding or co-opting interest groups designed to promote solidarity among members of the Chinese diaspora. In some cases, these organisations\u2014such as trade guilds<\/a>, student groups<\/a> and \u2018friendship associations<\/a>\u2019\u2014engage in political activity designed to shield the CCP from criticism, or to protest policies unfavourable to the Chinese government. In the US and UK, for example, Chinese student and scholar associations have pressured university administrators to cancel visits<\/a> from the Dalai Lama, counter-protest<\/a> the CCP\u2019s annexation of Hong Kong and censor artwork<\/a> criticising the party\u2019s actions in Xinjiang.<\/p>\n

Public records confirm that, in some cases like that of the Hunan Overseas Friendship Association, these organisations are simply run and paid for<\/a> by United Front Work Departments of the CCP; more often, however, the party acts to co-opt and politicise groups that operate independently, by offering media promotion and financial or logistical support from the local Chinese embassy or consulate.<\/p>\n

Although many organisations affiliated with the united front system are not directly controlled by the CCP or Chinese government, they are best viewed as government-organised<\/em> non-governmental organisations (GONGOs<\/a>). These groups also aid in the united front system\u2019s second major overseas mission\u2014monitoring the activities of the Chinese diaspora and silencing dissidents based abroad. In 2020 and 2021, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation<\/a> and Canadian Security Intelligence Service<\/a> both warned that the Chinese government was using \u2018state entities and non-state proxies\u2019 to \u2018threaten and intimidate\u2019 activists and Chinese dissidents in the US and Canada. Under the guise of a global anti-corruption campaign called \u2018Operation Fox Hunt<\/a>\u2019, Chinese authorities have succeeded in repatriating 680 individuals<\/a> back to China, including by threatening their family members.<\/p>\n

Not all the united front system\u2019s overseas activities are concerned with the above-mentioned forms of malign influence. Perhaps least appreciated is its role in China\u2019s quest<\/a> to absorb foreign technology. Local budget documents<\/a> clarify that the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology coordinates with united front\u2013affiliated GONGOs to promote \u2018scientific and technological cooperation and talent development\u2019.<\/p>\n

Moreover, as my colleagues and I wrote<\/a> last year for the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, China\u2019s \u2018science and technology diplomats\u2019 (\u79d1\u6280\u5916\u4ea4\u5b98)\u2014staff based in the science and technology directorates of Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide\u2014often interface with elements of the united front system in the countries where they are stationed, and rely on their references to identify technology projects of strategic consequence to the Chinese government. Some group members consult remotely for state-owned tech companies in China, while others act as talent scouts and encourage Chinese living abroad to apply for state-run talent recruitment plans<\/a>. Prior research<\/a> identified such united front\u2013affiliated groups operating in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UK and across Scandinavia, though the number of target countries and active organisations increases each year.<\/p>\n

On balance, the united front system represents a formidable tool to advance Chinese influence, power and access to technology abroad. Many of its activities are best described as extralegal or \u2018grey zone\u2019 operations and are difficult to mitigate at scale. Liberal democracies should coordinate and think of novel ways to blunt the impact of China\u2019s influence operations and stymie unwanted technology outflows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Led by United Front Work Departments of Chinese Communist Party committees at each echelon of government, the united front system is a complex and opaque set of organisations designed to advance the CCP\u2019s influence in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1539,"featured_media":71924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1383,52,2162,2775],"class_list":["post-71920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-ccp","tag-china","tag-influence-operations","tag-united-front"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow China\u2019s united front system works overseas | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How China\u2019s united front system works overseas | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Led by United Front Work Departments of Chinese Communist Party committees at each echelon of government, the united front system is a complex and opaque set of organisations designed to advance the CCP\u2019s influence in ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-13T01:30:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-13T01:29:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-117587482.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Fedasiuk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Fedasiuk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/how-chinas-united-front-system-works-overseas\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-117587482.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-117587482.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683,\"caption\":\"BEIJING, CHINA - JUNE 28: Dancers perform during a gala show to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the Great Hall of the People on June 28, 2011 in Beijing, China. 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