The report details how the Chinese communist regime seeks to turn overseas Chinese into assets.
More than 2,000 groups across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the UK are helping the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) advance its agenda by exercising influence in democratic nations, according to a Jamestown Foundation report published on Feb. 11.
The report maps these organizations, which, by some counts, mobilize tens of thousands of actors on behalf of CCP interests. These are groups that fall under the CCP’s United Front Work Department, which came to the spotlight only a few years ago when a human rights group exposed the “secret police stations” run by Chinese officials on foreign soil.
The report’s author identified 347 groups in Germany, 405 in the UK, 575 in Canada, and 967 in the United States, which it says are likely only the tip of the iceberg.
What Is the United Front For?
The United Front Work Department reports to the CCP’s Central Committee, one of the regime’s highest decision-making bodies, and includes local-level branches that coordinate a large network of organizations worldwide.
According to the report’s author, Chinese communist regime leaders have, since the Party’s founding, spoken of the value of mobilizing support for the state, especially amid “enemies.”
Former CCP leader Mao Zedong referred to United Front work as the Party’s “magic weapon,” according to the report.
Under Deng Xiaoping’s rule, the department also focused on targeting well-to-do Chinese people overseas with the purpose of “attracting trade and luring capital,” the report said. Later, this included “attracting talent and luring knowledge” as the regime sought a foothold as a technological power.
Then, under Jiang Zemin, overseas students were added to the list of targets.
The current CCP leader, Xi Jinping, has spoken several times about “unifying” people of Chinese descent around the world, the report said.
The report notes throughout that targets of United Front work are often overseas Chinese, with efforts designed to get them to work in the regime’s interests.
The goals have shifted over time, but the top priority has always been “national rejuvenation,” or increasing the regime’s position as the dominant global power, according to the report.
To that end, the regime uses civil associations worldwide. According to the report, the department will identify a target group, extend invitations to meet with CCP leadership and to travel to China, and, over time, persuade these groups to amplify CCP narratives on key issues such as Taiwan and human rights.
“These could include asking the organization’s members to protest a visit by a Taiwanese president, or to harass those speaking out against CCP human rights abuses,” the report reads.
“These activities are framed externally as a local nonprofit organization exercising its rights to the freedoms of expression and assembly. The Party’s role is obfuscated.”
