China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification

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 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote unification between mainland China and Taiwan on terms defined solely by the People's Republic of China.[1][2][3] Unification is couched in a one country, two systems framework, though critics categorize it as annexation.[4] 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."[5] The main council oversees over 200 chapters in multiple countries.[2]

China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification
中国和平统一促进会
AbbreviationCCPPNR
FormationSeptember 22, 1988 (1988-09-22)
PurposeChinese unification
HeadquartersBeijing
President
Wang Yang
Executive Vice President
You Quan
Secretary-General
Xu Yousheng
Parent organization
United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party
Websitewww.zhongguotongcuhui.org.cn
CCPPNR organization
Simplified Chinese中国和平统一促进会
Traditional Chinese中國和平統一促進會
Literal meaningOrganization for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China
CCPPNR conference
Simplified Chinese全球华侨华人促进中国和平统一大会
Traditional Chinese全球華僑華人促進中國和平統一大會
Literal meaningOverseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China

The group holds an annual Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China. This event has been held in multiple countries and is coordinated by local councils and other front organizations linked to the United Front Work Department.[1][6][7][8][9] The council was previously chaired by Wang Yang and vice-chair You Quan.[2][6][7]

Branches

Australia

In 2019, it was reported that the Australia-based branch, the Australia Council for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification (ACPPRC), was not registered as a foreign agent even though it acts to influence Australian politics.[10][11][12] The ACPPRC was previously headed by Huang Xiangmo who was subsequently banned from entering Australia due to national security concerns.[13][14]

United States

In the United States, multiple local councils exist and a national-level council is registered as a non-profit called the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU).[15][2][6] NACPU is also registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).[6][2] In 2019, U.S. congressional representative Judy Chu was named "honorary chairwoman" of a branch council called the Forums for Peaceful Reunification of China, an organization opposed to Taiwanese independence.[16]

In 2019, Li "Cindy" Yang, a vice-president of the organization's Florida-based council, was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly "peddling access" to Mar-a-Lago.[17][18][19]

In October 2020, NACPU was designated a foreign mission by the United States Department of State.[20]

In 2023, the founder of the Texas Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification, John Shing-Wan Leung, was jailed for life in China on espionage charges.[21]

In May 2023, the founder of the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China (NEAPUC), Liang Litang, was indicted for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and for surveilling and harassing Chinese dissidents.[22]

Reaction
See also: Chinese intelligence activity abroad, Influence operations, and Chinese espionage in the United States

Scholars and observers have noted that the council and its events are part of the political influence agenda of the Chinese Communist Party and that Taiwan has never been under the control of the CCP.[1][6]

In September 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the State Department had begun reviewing the activities of the CCPPNR in the U.S.[23] In October 2020, the State Department designated the NACPU a foreign mission of the People's Republic of China.[24][25]

In 2022, the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a warning notice to state and local leaders citing the NACPU, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the United Front Work Department.[26][27]

See also

References
  1. Dotson, John (May 9, 2019). "The United Front Work Department Goes Global: The Worldwide Expansion of the Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  2. Diamond, Larry; Schell, Orville, eds. (2018). China's Influence & American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance (PDF). Stanford, California: Hoover Institution. pp. 44–46. ISBN 978-0-8179-2288-7. OCLC 1104533323. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  3. Yang, J. (2011-11-07). The Pacific Islands in China's Grand Strategy: Small States, Big Games. Springer. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-230-33975-0.
  4. Cole, J. Michael (2019-12-27). "Taiwan and CCP political warfare: A blueprint". Sinopsis. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  5. Brady, Anne-Marie (2017). Magic weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. p. 16. OCLC 1009357284. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  6. Dotson, John (February 13, 2018). "The United Front Work Department in Action Abroad: A Profile of The Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  7. 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.
  8. Hsiao, Russell (June 26, 2019). "A Preliminary Survey of CCP Influence Operations in Japan". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  9. 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.
  10. Knaus, Christopher (2019-03-29). "Chinese Communist party-linked group not listed on foreign influence register". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  11. Joske, Alex (2017-12-15). "Bennelong byelection: The influential network targeting the Turnbull government in Bennelong". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  12. Galloway, Anthony (March 7, 2020). "Suspected foreign agents ordered to hand over documents as new unit targets China links". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  13. Bavas, Josh (10 August 2020). "City of Sydney councillor Robert Kok advising 'pro-Beijing' group linked to Chinese Communist Party". ABC News. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  14. Hsu, Jennifer; McGregor, Richard; Kassam, Natasha (2 November 2021). "Lines blurred: Chinese community organisations in Australia". Lowy Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  15. Eades, Mark (September 11, 2017). "China's 'United Front' Seeks to Undermine U.S. Support for Taiwan". International Policy Digest. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  16. "美联盟第34届执委就职，徐中（左）与郭志明交接，国会众议员赵美心(中)见证。". Las Vegas Chinese News Network (in Chinese). August 24, 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  17. Schulman, Daniel; Corn, David; Friedman, Dan (March 10, 2019). "The massage parlor owner peddling access to Trump has ties to Chinese government-linked groups". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  18. Friedman, Dan (March 21, 2019). "Chinese influence group shuts down after report on Cindy Yang's ties". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  19. Karanth, Sanjana (May 10, 2019). "FBI Opens Investigation Into Florida GOP Donor Cindy Yang". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  20. "Designation of the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU) as a Foreign Mission of the PRC". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  21. Gan, Nectar (2023-05-16). "American jailed for spying by China is a veteran pro-Beijing advocate who rubbed shoulders with senior Chinese officials, CNN reporting shows". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  22. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany (May 16, 2023). "DOJ indictment alleges China's United Front involvement in repression". Axios. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  23. Pamuk, Humeyra (September 23, 2020). "Pompeo warns U.S. politicians to be alert to Chinese 'influence and espionage'". Reuters. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  24. "U.S. designates Chinese body a foreign mission, quits local cooperation agreement". Reuters. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  25. "Designation of the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU) as a Foreign Mission of the PRC". United States Department of State. October 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  26. O’Keeffe, Kate; Strobel, Warren P. (2022-07-06). "China Escalates Efforts to Influence U.S. State and Local Leaders, Officials Warn". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  27. "Protecting Government and Business Leaders at the U.S. State and Local Level from People's Republic of China (PRC) Influence Operations" (PDF). National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
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