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At the core of party-state influencing is the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD). This is a key institution involved in building relationships with individuals and organisations outside the party, including among Chinese communities overseas. UFWD work seeks to foster connections, encourage support for Beijing’s positions and promote unity among ethnic Chinese people globally. This is often done through cultural outreach, forums and community events. Experts describe the UFWD as playing a strategic role in shaping how overseas Chinese communities relate to both China and their host societies.
Organs of the Chinese party state affiliated with United Front work have been active in Ireland, engaging with various levels of government and civil society.
Part of its work involves interacting with policymakers, industry and opinion leaders abroad through various intermediaries – from official party-state affiliated organisations to more covertly connected media organisations, associations and other entities that often present themselves as independent. The goal is to counter criticism of the CCP, secure support for it and advance the country’s national interests. Rather than coercion, this approach mainly relies on incentives – offering events, training and media engagement. These efforts often operate beneath the radar of national governments and can result in foreign individuals or institutions unknowingly advancing CCP interests.
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The concept of the United Front has its roots in the Soviet Union. In China, it became a foundational component of CCP ideology when Mao Zedong described the United Front as one of the CCP’s three “magic weapons”. Since then, it has been a steady pillar of the CCP’s governance model. The importance of United Front work has been incorporated into Xi Jinping‘s ruling ideology. The department’s efforts are primarily steered by a top-level small group headed by Wang Huning, one of China’s most senior leaders and the party’s chief ideologue. The UFWD has grown significantly under Xi, who views it as a tool for China’s “great rejuvenation”. Established in 1949, it has branches in all levels of government. One of its key bureaux focuses specifically on overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent, with the goal of cultivating loyalty to the PRC.
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Another organisation that has been active in Ireland and is affiliated with United Front work is the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). It presents itself as a NGO but operates under the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and forms part of the United Front system. It focuses on people-to-people diplomacy, often working through city-to-city exchanges, local governments and academic institutions. Its goal is to promote CCP objectives – like the One China Principle and Belt and Road Initiative – through grassroots relationships.
The CPAFFC uses a bottom-up strategy to cultivate sympathetic foreign individuals and institutions. Its former president Li Xiaolin described its aim as being to “create a favourable and friendly atmosphere” towards China through “targeted co-operation”.
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The work of the ILD and CPAFFC blurs the lines not only between party and state diplomacy but also between state and non-state diplomacy. Their activities in Ireland reflect the CCP’s broader strategy: influencing without confrontation through soft power and informal ties. Despite their strategic role, they often operate without national-level protocol or oversight.
Ultimately, [Ireland] should pull back the cloak of neutrality that party-state affiliated organisations often wear, to see who entities active in Ireland are connected to in China and engage with a clear understanding of what objectives they serve – so that co-operation is informed, transparent and in the public interest.