United Front Work Department

Last updated
United Front Work Department
中共中央统一战线工作部
Formation1942;82 years ago (1942)
TypeDepartment directly reporting to the Central Committee
Ministerial level agency
Headquarters135 Fuyou Street, Xicheng District, Beijing
Head
Shi Taifeng
Executive deputy head
Chen Xiaojiang
Deputy heads
Pan Yue
Xu Lejiang
Shi Jun, Cui Maohu
Discipline Secretary
Liu Junchuan
Parent organization
Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Subsidiaries National Ethnic Affairs Commission
Budget
$1.8 billion USD (estimated) [1]
Website www.zytzb.gov.cn OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
*Minister-level rank
United Front Work Department
Simplified Chinese 中共中央统一战线工作部
Traditional Chinese 中共中央統一戰線工作部

The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with "united front work." It gathers intelligence on, manages relations with, and attempts to gain influence over elite individuals and organizations inside and outside mainland China, including in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in other countries. [2] [3]

Contents

The UFWD focuses its work on people or entities that are outside the CCP, especially in the overseas Chinese diaspora, who hold political, commercial, or academic influence, or who represent interest groups. [4] [5] Through its efforts, the UFWD seeks to ensure that these individuals and groups are supportive of or useful to CCP interests and that potential critics remain divided. [6] [7] [8]

History

The United Front Work Department was created during the Chinese Civil War, and was reestablished in 1979 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Since 2012, the role and scope of the UFWD has expanded and intensified under CCP general secretary Xi Jinping. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Civil war and gaining power

United front policies were most used in two periods before the Chinese Communist Revolution, namely from 1924 to 1927, and from 1936 to 1945, when the CCP cooperated with the Nationalist Party ostensibly to defeat the Japanese. [13] The simplest formulation of united front work in the period was to "rally as many allies as possible in order to...defeat a common enemy." [13]

In the early years, the CCP also used united front policies to cooperate with "disaffected warlords, religious believers, ethnic minorities, overseas Chinese, and minor parties and groups," in order for the CCP to appear democratic and to persuade key groups that the Nationalists were "illegitimate and repressive while the CCP embodied progress, unity, and democracy." [13]

After seizing power, the CCP continued to deploy united front strategies to train intellectuals, "and, using thought reform based on criticism, began the transformation of the old society intellectuals." This involved violent elimination of what were termed "bourgeois and idealistic political beliefs," to instill faith in "class struggle and revolutionary change." [13]

Cultural Revolution

During the Cultural Revolution, the UFWD was accused of being "capitulationist" and forced to shut down. [14]

Reform-era

In the late 1970s the policy was used for the common cause of economic reform. From there the CCP expanded the scope of its work internationally during the reform era, and again following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The department includes a bureau tasked with handling Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas affairs, and articulates the importance of using overseas Chinese populations to promote unification. [15]

In 1980, the CCP Central Committee approved a request by the UFWD to create a national conference for religious groups. [16] :126–127 The participating religious groups were the Catholic Patriotic Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and the Buddhist Association of China. [16] :127

It played an important role in building support for "One country, two systems" in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s, [17] operating under the name of the "Coordination Department." [18] The UFWD has been critically described as serving to co-opt non-Communist community leaders outside China, and "using them to neutralize Party critics," sometimes coercively. [19]

Scholar of Chinese political history John P. Burns presents in his book The Chinese Communist Party's Nomenklatura System excerpts from internal party documents demonstrating the role of the UFWD. The UFWD is to "implement better the party's united front policy and to assess and understand patriotic personages in different fields... so that we can arrange for correct placements for them and fully mobilize and bring into play their positive role in the Four Modernizations and to accomplish the return of Taiwan to the motherland so as to fulfill the cause of uniting the whole country, and to carry forward and solidify the revolutionary, patriotic united front." [20]

The UFWD was used in the early years of PRC rule "to guarantee CCP oversight" over groups that were not directly associated with the Party and government. Those groups, including NGOs, were brought under the authority of the UFWD, whose job it was to “continuing to play its part in mobilizing and rallying the whole people in common struggle” after the Liberation in 1949. When the CCP "shifted its focus from the 'mass line' to 'class struggle', the real united front disappeared. While the United Front Department still existed, its duties of uniting with all forces for the 'common struggle' shifted mainly to serving the Party's leadership and 'consolidating the proletarian dictatorship'," according to Brookings Institution visiting fellow Zhang Ye. [21] According to Roger Faligot, the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre led to the "growing use of party organizations, such as the United Front Work Department and friendship associations, as fronts for intelligence operations." [22] :182 Based on their actions in Taiwan and elsewhere the United Front Work Department appears to be used as a cover to conduct intelligence operations against targets of interest to the CCP. [23]

Xi administration

In 2018, the United Front Work Department went through a reorganization in which it absorbed the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO) to become two internal bureaus. [12] [24] [25] As part of the "one institution with two names" system, the UFWD retains OCAO and SARA (also called National Religious Affairs Administration) as external nameplates. [26] The UFWD also assumed direct control of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission. [27] [28] With the reorganization, the UFWD effectively became China's main agency overseeing and managing ethnic, religious and overseas Chinese affairs. [29] [27] The State Religious Affairs Commission and the State Council Overseas Chinese Office were also merged within the United Front Work Department. [30] :77

Structure

The UFWD is reported to have over 40,000 personnel and does not disclose its budget. [31] [32] It oversees and directs eight minor and subordinate political parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. [33]

Between 2015 and 2018, the UFWD grew to 12 bureaus: [5] [34]

Internal and overseas operations

The UFWD uses several methods in pursuit of its goals to appeal to its targets. Its primary method involves outreach, including holding events, trainings, media tours and other similar activities. This includes examples such as inviting members of the "new social class" to attend the "large-scale celebration to commemorate the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone’s 40th anniversary" or inviting members of the private sector to attend a multi-week training course. Another method it uses is to providing good and services, including issuing tenders for infrastructure and development projects, from road improvements to increasing access to drinking water. [34]

The UFWD also plays an active role in the sinicization of non-Han ethnic and religious minorities, particularly in Tibet, Inner Mongolia and of the Uyghurs through the Xinjiang internment camps. [38] [39] [28] In 2020, shortly after the commencement of the 2020 Inner Mongolia protests, the UFWD issued a communique that stressed the need for all ethnic minorities in China to use Standard Chinese. [40] The UFWD has also taken a leading role in antireligious campaigns under the official pretense of "sinicizing religions." [26] Bureaus of the SARA, absorbed into the UFWD in 2018, in some areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan have brought PRC flags and flagpoles to install in mosques or temples. [34]

Alex Joske has noted that there is no clear distinction between domestic and overseas UFWD activity and often overlap between the two. [5] Scholar Martin Thorley has described the UFWD as being able to call upon a "latent network" of civic, educational, and non-governmental groups and affiliated individuals internally and abroad for its political purposes, especially in times of crisis. [41] For instance, the UFWD uses members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and other organizations to carry out influence-building activities, often covertly. [2] [42] Researchers from Stanford University's Internet Observatory and the Hoover Institution describe the United Front as "cultivat[ing] pro-Beijing perspectives in the Chinese diaspora and the wider world by rewarding those it deems friendly with accolades and lucrative opportunities, while orchestrating social and economic pressure against critics. This pressure is often intense but indirect, and clear attribution is therefore difficult." [43]

The UFWD and its affiliated front organizations have also served as cover for intelligence agents of the Ministry of State Security. [5] Multiple national intelligence agencies have expressed concern that the mandate and operations of the UFWD can constitute undue interference in other nations' internal affairs. [44] [19] In their book Nest of Spies, de Pierrebourg and Juneau-Katsuya allege that the United Front Work Department "manages important dossiers concerning foreign countries. These include propaganda, the control of Chinese students abroad, the recruiting of agents among the Chinese diaspora (and among sympathetic foreigners), and long-term clandestine operations." [45]

The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has been described as the "public face" of the UFWD. [46] Scholar Jichang Lulu noted that the UFWD and its proxy organizations "re-purpose democratic governance structures to serve as tools of extraterritorial influence." [47] An Atlantic writer stated China runs thousands of linked and subsidized pro-government groups across Europe, to "ensure that its overseas citizens, and others of ethnic Chinese descent, are loyal", to "shape the conversation about China in Europe", and to "bring back technology and expertise", and that the UFWD plays a "crucial" role in this project. [48] Scholar Jeffrey Stoff has argued that the CCP's United Front "influence apparatus intersects with or directly supports its global technology transfer apparatus." [49] [50]

In March 2018, it was announced that the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office would be absorbed into the United Front Work Department. [25] [51] With the absorption of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the UFWD gained full control of the country's second largest state-run media apparatus, the China News Service. [25] In 2019, the UFWD partnered with the Cyberspace Administration of China to promote united front work with social media influencers. [5]

In January 2020, UFWD-linked organizations in Canada and other countries were activated to purchase, stockpile, and export personal protective equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China. [52] [53] UFWD-affiliated groups have also been linked to organized crime in several countries. [54] [55]

Foreign electoral interference allegations

The UFWD has also allegedly interfered in foreign elections, including the 2019 Canadian federal election. [56] Following the 2019 Canadian Parliament infiltration plot, the Privy Council Office warned that election interference by China was "likely to be more persistent and pervasive in future elections" and that "the UFWD’s extensive network of quasi-official and local community and interest groups, allow it to obfuscate communication and the flow of funds between Canadian targets and Chinese officials." [57]

Reaction

A 2018 report by the United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission noted that the UFWD regularly attempts to suppress overseas protests and acts of expression critical of the CCP are a conspiracy against rights. [2] In May 2020, the White House released a report titled "U.S. Strategic Approach to the People's Republic of China". [58] That report stated that "CCP United Front organizations and agents target businesses, universities, think tanks, scholars, journalists, and local, state, and Federal officials in the United States and around the world, attempting to influence discourse and restrict external influence inside the PRC." [59] [60] In June 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute issued a report advocating a multi-dimensional response involving law enforcement as well as legislative reform for greater transparency of foreign influence operations. [5] The same month the Republican Study Committee in the United States called for sanctions on the UFWD and its top leadership. [61]

In January 2022, MI5 issued an "interference alert" for a solicitor in the UK named Christine Lee suspected of political interference on behalf of the UFWD. [62] [63] In a February 2022 ruling, a Canadian court stated that the UFWD's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office "engages in covert and surreptitious intelligence gathering”. [64] In July 2023, a group of U.S. senators asked the United States Department of Justice to investigate "Overseas Chinese Service Centers" with alleged ties to the UFWD that are operating in seven U.S. cities. [65] [66]

U.S. sanctions and prosecution

In December 2020, the United States Department of State imposed visa restrictions on "individuals active in United Front Work Department activities, who have engaged in the use or threat of physical violence, theft and release of private information, espionage, sabotage, or malicious interference in domestic political affairs, academic freedom, personal privacy, or business activity." [67] [68] In January 2021, the head of the UFWD, You Quan, was sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13936 as a Specially Designated National by United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. [69] [70]

In May 2023, a U.S. man, Liang Litang, was indicted for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and for surveilling and harassing Chinese dissidents. Liang allegedly passed information to officials of the UFWD and Ministry of Public Security. [71] [72]

Department heads

During two periods the United Front Work Department was without a leader, from 1966 to 1975 during the Cultural Revolution and from the end of 1989 until 22 November 1990 following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The UFWD has had two female heads, Liu Yandong (2002–2007) and Sun Chunlan (2014–2017). [22]

PortraitEnglish NameChineseStartEnd
Zhou Enlai and Lin Doudou (cropped).jpg Zhou Enlai 周恩来19381942
CCP-WangMing.jpg Wang Ming 王明19421947
Zhou Enlai and Lin Doudou (cropped).jpg Zhou Enlai 周恩来19471948
Li Weihan1.jpg Li Weihan 李维汉October 1948December 1964
Portrait gray.png Xu Bing 徐冰December 19641966
Cultural Revolution Interregnum19661975
Portrait gray.png Li Dazhang 李大章November 1975May 1976
Ulanhu1955.jpg Ulanhu 鸟阑夫May 1976April 1982
Portrait gray.png Yang Jingren 杨静仁April 1982November 1985
Portrait gray.png Yan Mingfu 阎明复November 1985November 1990
Tiananmen Massacre InterregnumLate 198922 November 1990
Portrait gray.png Ding Guangen 丁关根November 1990December 1992
Wang Zhaoguo Senate of Poland.jpg Wang Zhaoguo 王兆国December 1992December 2002
Liu Yandong 2011.jpg Liu Yandong 刘延东December 2002December 2007
Du Qinglin (cropped).jpg Du Qinglin 杜青林December 2007September 2012
Ling Jihua in 2009.jpg Ling Jihua 令计划September 2012December 2014
Sun Chunlan (22551034609) (cropped).jpg Sun Chunlan 孙春兰December 2014November 2017
You Quan in 2014.jpg You Quan 尤权November 2017October 2022
Portrait gray.png Shi Taifeng 石泰峰October 2022Incumbent
Source: Chinese Spies: From Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference</span> Political advisory body in the Peoples Republic of China

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front system. Its members advise and put proposals for political and social issues to government bodies. However, the CPPCC is a body without real legislative power. While consultation does take place, it is supervised and directed by the CCP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Public Security (China)</span> Chinese internal security agency

The Ministry of Public Security is a government ministry of the People's Republic of China responsible for public and political security. It oversees more than 1.9 million of the country's law enforcement officers and as such the vast majority of the People's Police. While the MPS is a nationwide police force, conducting counterintelligence and maintaining the political security of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remain its core functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China News Service</span> News agency of the Chinese Communist Party

China News Service is the second largest state news agency in China, after Xinhua News Agency. China News Service was formerly run by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which was absorbed into the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2018. Its operations have traditionally been directed at overseas Chinese worldwide and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

The Catholic Patriotic Association, abbreviated CPA, is a state-managed nationalistic organization of Catholicism in the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1957 after a group of Chinese Catholics met in Beijing with officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Religious Affairs Bureau. It is the main organizational body of Catholics in China officially sanctioned and recognized by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of State Security (China)</span> Civilian intelligence agency of the Peoples Republic of China

The Ministry of State Security is the principal civilian intelligence, security and secret police agency of the People's Republic of China, responsible for foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and the political security of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). One of the largest and most secretive intelligence organizations in the world, it is headquartered in the Haidian District of Beijing, with powerful semi-autonomous branches at the provincial, city, municipality and township levels throughout China.

The Buddhist Association of China (BCA) is the official government supervisory organ of Buddhism in the People's Republic of China. The association has been overseen by the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since the State Administration for Religious Affairs' absorption into the UFWD in 2018. The association's headquarters are located in Guangji Temple in Beijing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Taoist Association</span> State-sanctioned religious organization in China

Chinese Taoist Association, founded in April 1957, is the official government supervisory organ of Taoism in the People's Republic of China.

The united front is a political strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) involving networks of groups and key individuals that are influenced or controlled by the CCP and used to advance its interests. It has historically been a popular front that has included eight legally-permitted political parties and people's organizations which have nominal representation in the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Under CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, the united front and its targets of influence have expanded in size and scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China</span> Chinese government department

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the first-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the country's foreign relations. It is led by the minister of foreign affairs, currently Wang Yi, who serves as the nation's principal representative abroad. The ministry is headquartered in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the country's primary diplomatic quarter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Ethnic Affairs Commission</span> Chinese executive department on ethnic relations

The National Ethnic Affairs Commission is a body under the leadership of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party that is responsible for relations between the Chinese government and ethnic minorities in China. It supervises the implementation - and monitors the performance - of national and regional systems to manage and sinicize non-Han ethnic minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Administration for Religious Affairs</span> Executive agency in China (1951–2018)

The National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA), formerly the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), is an external name of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Formerly, it was an executive agency directly under the State Council of the People's Republic of China which oversaw religious affairs in the country. SARA was merged into the UFWD in 2018. The names of the former agency were retained by the UFWD as external names under the system called "one institution with two names".

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (OCAO) is an external name of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Prior to 2018, OCAO was an administrative office under the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for liaising with and influencing overseas Chinese as part of its united front efforts. Due to the 2018 party and government reform in China, OCAO was merged into the UFWD, with its functions being taken up by the department. Under the arrangement "one institution with two names", UFWD reserves the name "Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council", generally used when dealing in public statements and dealing with the outside world.

The China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification (CCPPNR) is an umbrella organization, founded in 1988, by the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote unification between mainland China and Taiwan on terms defined solely by the People's Republic of China. Unification is couched in a one country, two systems framework, though critics categorize it as annexation. According to scholar Anne-Marie Brady, in addition to promoting unification, "the organization also engages in a range of activities which support Chinese foreign policy goals, including block-voting and fund-raising for ethnic Chinese political candidates who agree to support their organization's agenda." The main council oversees over 200 chapters in multiple countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference</span> Leader of a political advisory body in the Peoples Republic of China

The chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is the leader of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs</span> Chinese policy coordination group

The Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs is an internal policy coordination group of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), reporting to the CCP Politburo, in charge of supervising and coordinating Beijing's policy towards the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Shi Taifeng is a Chinese politician currently serving as the head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the first-ranking vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He is additionally a member of the CCP Politburo and a secretary of the CCP Secretariat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission</span> Political control office of the Chinese military

The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission is the chief political organ under the Central Military Commission (CMC). It was created in January 2016 following the military reforms under CMC chairman Xi Jinping. Its predecessor was the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army.

The All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC) is a united front people's organization of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to influence overseas Chinese. ACFROC has 27 seats on the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One institution with two names</span> Nomenclature arrangement for Chinese government bodies

"One institution with two names" is a bureaucratic arrangement in the Chinese government wherein a government agency exists in name only, and its functions are in practice performed by another agency or a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization, so that in effect one institution has two or more governmental brands or trade names to use selectively for political, historical, or bureaucratic reasons. This type of arrangement was historically common until the mid-1980s, but has been extensively revived by reforms which began in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai State Security Bureau</span> Shanghai branch of Chinas Ministry of State Security

The Shanghai State Security Bureau is a municipal bureau of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) charged with intelligence operations in the country's most populous city. With tens of thousands of employees, it is one of the most aggressive and internationally active units of the MSS, conducting long-term global foreign espionage operations and major cyberespionage campaigns which stretch far beyond the Shanghai metropolis. The bureau acts in concert with the Shanghai Municipal Party Secrecy Committee, and the two represent themselves publicly as one institution, a front called the Shanghai Secrecy Administration Bureau.

References

  1. Graham-Harrison, Emma (2023-08-02). "Beijing Rules by Bethany Allen review – a new world order". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Bowe, Alexander (August 24, 2018). "China's Overseas United Front Work: Background and Implications for the United States" (PDF). United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. "The United Front in Communist China" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. May 1957. pp. 1–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  4. Brady, Annie-Marie (2017-09-18). "Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Joske, Alex (June 9, 2020). "The party speaks for you: Foreign interference and the Chinese Communist Party's united front system". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. JSTOR   resrep25132 . Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  6. Hamilton, Clive; Joske, Alex (2018). Silent invasion : China's influence in Australia. Richmond, Victoria. ISBN   9781743794807. OCLC   1030256783. OL   28113872M.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. Miller, William J (1988). The People's Republic of China's united front tactics in the United States, 1972-1988. Bakersfield, Calif. (9001 Stockdale Hgwy., Bakersfield 93311-1099): C. Schlacks, Jr. LCCN   88006695. OCLC   644142873. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2019-11-13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. Fitzgerald, John (October 1, 2019). "Mind your tongue: Language, public diplomacy and community cohesion in contemporary Australia—China relations". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. p. 5. JSTOR   resrep23070 . Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  9. Groot, Gerry (September 24, 2019). "The CCP's Grand United Front abroad". Sinopsis. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  10. Groot, Gerry (2016-09-19), "The Expansion of the United Front Under Xi Jinping", The China Story Yearbook 2015: Pollution, ANU Press, doi: 10.22459/csy.09.2016.04a , ISBN   978-1-76046-068-6
  11. Kynge, James; Anderlini, Jamil; Hornby, Lucy (2017-10-26). "Inside China's secret 'magic weapon' for worldwide influence" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  12. 1 2 Joske, Alex (2019-07-22). "The Central United Front Work Leading Small Group: Institutionalising united front work". Sinopsis. Archived from the original on 2020-05-03. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Groot, Gerry (2004). Managing Transitions: The Chinese Communist Party, United Front Work, Corporatism and Hegemony. New York: Routledge. pp. 2–8. doi:10.4324/9780203502945. ISBN   0203502949. OCLC   54494511.
  14. Wang, Ray; Groot, Gerry (2018-07-04). "Who Represents? Xi Jinping's Grand United Front Work, Legitimation, Participation and Consultative Democracy". Journal of Contemporary China . 27 (112): 569–583. doi:10.1080/10670564.2018.1433573. ISSN   1067-0564.
  15. United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, '华侨、华人工作的基本任务 Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine , March 23, 2009.
  16. 1 2 Guoyou, Wu; Xuemei, Ding (2020). Zheng, Qian (ed.). An Ideological History of the Communist Party of China. Translated by Sun, Li; Bryant, Shelly. Montreal, Quebec: Royal Collins Publishing Group. ISBN   978-1-4878-0392-6.
  17. Lo, Sonny Shiu-Hing; Hung, Steven Chung-Fun; Loo, Jeff Hai-Chi (2019). China's New United Front Work in Hong Kong: Penetrative Politics and Its Implications. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-8483-7. ISBN   978-981-13-8482-0. S2CID   191713443.
  18. Loh, Christine (2010). Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 148. doi:10.5790/hongkong/9789888028948.001.0001. ISBN   9789882205697. OCLC   743276061.
  19. 1 2 Porteous, Holly (1998). Beijing's United Front Strategy in Hong Kong. Canadian Security Intelligence Service. OCLC   56237445. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
  20. Burns, John P (1989). The Chinese Communist Party's Nomenklatura System: A Documentary Study of Party Control of Leadership Selection, 1979-1984. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe. pp. 36–37. ISBN   978-0-87332-566-0. OCLC   18960017.
  21. Ye, Zhang (August 1, 2003). "China's Emerging Civil Society". Brookings Institution . Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  22. 1 2 3 Faligot, Roger (June 2019). Chinese Spies: From Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping. Oxford University Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN   978-1-78738-096-7. OCLC   1104999295.
  23. Hsiao, Russell (2019-12-18). "Political Warfare Alert: China Using United Front Work Department to Conduct Espionage in Taiwan". globaltaiwan.org. Global Taiwan Institute. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  24. Feng, Emily (September 26, 2019). "'Afraid We Will Become The Next Xinjiang': China's Hui Muslims Face Crackdown". NPR . Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 Joske, Alex (May 9, 2019). "Reorganizing the United Front Work Department: New Structures for a New Era of Diaspora and Religious Affairs Work". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  26. 1 2 Gao, Charlotte (October 24, 2017). "Chinese Communist Party Vows to 'Sinicize Religions' in China". The Diplomat . Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  27. 1 2 Zhao, Taotao; Leibold, James (2019-10-13). "Ethnic Governance under Xi Jinping: The Centrality of the United Front Work Department & Its Implications". Journal of Contemporary China . 29 (124): 487–502. doi:10.1080/10670564.2019.1677359. ISSN   1067-0564. S2CID   211427737.
  28. 1 2 Leibold, James (October 10, 2018). "Hu the Uniter: Hu Lianhe and the Radical Turn in China's Xinjiang Policy". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  29. Xin, Zhou (March 21, 2018). "It's the covert unit behind China's growing global influence. And it's getting bigger". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  30. Tsang, Steve; Cheung, Olivia (2024). The Political Thought of Xi Jinping. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780197689363.
  31. Manthorpe, John (5 January 2019). Claws of the Panda. Cormorant Books. p. 45. ISBN   978-1-77086-539-6.
  32. Fedasiuk, Ryan (September 16, 2020). "Putting Money in the Party's Mouth: How China Mobilizes Funding for United Front Work". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  33. Groot, Gerry (June 19, 2018). "Understanding the Role of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Associations in United Front Work". Jamestown Foundation . Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  34. 1 2 3 Batke, Jessica (2023-09-28). "Holding Sway: China's United Front Work Department, Known for Its Influence Operations Abroad, Is Even Busier at Home". ChinaFile. Asia Society . Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  35. Cole, J. Michael; Hsu, Szu-Chien (2020-07-30). Insidious Power: How China Undermines Global Democracy. Eastbridge Books. p. 62. ISBN   978-1-78869-213-7. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  36. Joske, Alex (August 20, 2020). "Hunting the Phoenix: The Chinese Communist Party's global search for technology and talent". Australian Strategic Policy Institute . JSTOR   resrep26119 . Archived from the original on 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  37. "习近平会见第九届世界华侨华人社团联谊大会和中华海外联谊会五届一次理事大会代表_滚动新闻_中国政府网" [Xi Jinping met with representatives of the 9th World Friendship Conference of Overseas Chinese Associations and the 1st Council Meeting of the 5th China Overseas Friendship Association]. Government of China (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. 2019-05-28. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  38. Ruwitch, John (2018-10-13). Stamp, David (ed.). "Chinese official says 'sinicization' of religion in Xinjiang must go on". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  39. Stroup, David R. (November 19, 2019). "Why Xi Jinping's Xinjiang policy is a major change in China's ethnic politics". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  40. "It is the common responsibility of all ethnic groups to learn to use the national spoken and written language". United Front Work Department (in Chinese). September 11, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  41. Thorley, Martin (2019-07-05). "Huawei, the CSSA and beyond: "Latent networks" and Party influence within Chinese institutions". The Asia Dialogue. University of Nottingham. Archived from the original on 2019-08-18. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  42. Groot, Gerry (November 6, 2017). "The long reach of China's United Front Work". Lowy Institute. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  43. DiResta, Renée; Miller, Carly; Molter, Vanessa; Pomfret, John; Tiffert, Glenn (July 28, 2020). "Telling China's Story: The Chinese Communist Party's Campaign to Shape Global Narratives" (PDF). Hoover Institution . p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  44. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (2018-07-18). "China Built an Army of Influence Agents in the U.S." Daily Beast . Archived from the original on 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  45. Pierrebourg, Fabrice de; Juneau-Katsuya, Michel (2009). Nest of Spies: The Startling Truth about Foreign Agents at Work Within Canada's Borders. HarperCollins Canada. pp. 160–162. ISBN   978-1-55468-449-6. OCLC   961657163.
  46. Diamond, Larry; Schell, Orville (2019-08-01). China's Influence and American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance. Hoover Press. p. 187. ISBN   978-0-8179-2286-3. OCLC   1104533323. Archived from the original on 2020-05-28. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  47. Lulu, Jichang (2019-11-26). "Repurposing democracy: The European Parliament China Friendship Cluster". Sinopsis. Archived from the original on 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  48. Tatlow, Didi Kirsten (12 July 2019). "The Chinese Influence Effort Hiding in Plain Sight". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  49. Stoff, Jeffrey (2020-08-03), Hannas, William C.; Tatlow, Didi Kirsten (eds.), "China's Talent Programs", China’s Quest for Foreign Technology (1 ed.), Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 38–54, doi:10.4324/9781003035084-4, ISBN   978-1-003-03508-4, OCLC   1153338764, S2CID   225397660, archived from the original on 2023-07-03, retrieved 2023-03-22
  50. Joske, Alex; Stoff, Jeffrey (2020-08-03), Hannas, William C.; Tatlow, Didi Kirsten (eds.), "The United Front and Technology Transfer", China’s Quest for Foreign Technology (1 ed.), Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 258–274, doi:10.4324/9781003035084-20, ISBN   978-1-003-03508-4, OCLC   1153338764, S2CID   225395399, archived from the original on 2020-11-22, retrieved 2020-11-26
  51. Mattis, Peter; Joske, Alex (2019-06-24). "The Third Magic Weapon: Reforming China's United Front". War on the Rocks. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  52. Cooper, Sam (April 30, 2020). "United Front groups in Canada helped Beijing stockpile coronavirus safety supplies". Global News . Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  53. Prasso, Sheridan (September 17, 2020). "China's Epic Dash for PPE Left the World Short on Masks: The humanitarian campaign saved lives but has made foreign governments wary of the long reach of the organizer, the Communist Party's United Front". Bloomberg Businessweek . Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  54. Rotella, Sebastian (July 12, 2023). "Outlaw Alliance: How China and Chinese Mafias Overseas Protect Each Other's Interests". ProPublica . Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  55. Cooper, Sam (2022-06-08). Wilful Blindness: How a network of narcos, tycoons and CCP agents infiltrated the West. Optimum Publishing International. ISBN   978-0-88890-330-3.
  56. Cooper, Sam. "Canadian intelligence warned PM Trudeau that China covertly funded 2019 election candidates: Sources". Global News . Archived from the original on 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  57. Cooper, Sam (21 December 2022). "2020 intel warned Trudeau government that China's interference in Canadian elections will likely be 'pervasive'". Global News . Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  58. United States Strategic Approach to The People's Republic of China (PDF). whitehouse.gov (Report). May 20, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021 via National Archives.
  59. Long, Qiao (May 21, 2020). "U.S. Signals Change in China Strategy to 'Defensive' And 'Competitive' Approach". Radio Free Asia . Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  60. "United States Strategic Approach to The People's Republic of China" (PDF). whitehouse.gov . May 20, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved 2020-05-22 via National Archives.
  61. "The Republican Study Committee National Security Strategy: Strengthening America & Countering Global Threats" (PDF). Republican Study Committee. June 10, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  62. Sabbagh, Dan (January 13, 2022). "MI5 accuses lawyer of trying to influence politicians on behalf of China". The Guardian . Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  63. "Chinese political interference has Western spooks worried" . The Economist . 2022-04-21. ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  64. Young, Ian (24 February 2022). "Overseas Chinese Affairs Office harms Canada with espionage, court rules". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  65. Bates, Suzanne (10 July 2023). "Romney, Lee ask DOJ for information on 'Overseas Chinese Service Centers' in Salt Lake City, 6 other cities". Deseret News . Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  66. Blankley, Bethany (11 July 2023). "Texas senators want answers on Chinese intel centers inside U.S." The Center Square . Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  67. "U.S. Imposes Sanctions on People's Republic of China Officials Engaged in Coercive Influence Activities". United States Department of State . 2020-12-04. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  68. Lipes, Joshua (November 4, 2020). "US Imposes Visa Sanctions on Chinese Officials Active in United Front Activities". Radio Free Asia . Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  69. "Designating PRC and Hong Kong Officials After Widespread Pro-Democracy Arrests in Hong Kong". United States Department of State . 2021-01-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  70. "Hong Kong-related Designations; Iran-related Designations and Designations Updates; Global Magnitsky Designations; Counter Terrorism Designation Update; Non-Proliferation Designations Updates". U.S. Department of the Treasury . 2021-01-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  71. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (May 16, 2023). "DOJ indictment alleges China's United Front involvement in repression". Axios . Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  72. "Massachusetts Man Indicted for Acting as an Illegal Agent of the People's Republic of China". U.S. Department of Justice . 2023-05-13. Archived from the original on 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-19.