China Association for International Friendly Contact

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
China Association for International Friendly Contact
中国国际友好联络会
AbbreviationCAIFC
Formation1984; 40 years ago (1984)
Location
  • Beijing
Chairman
Chen Yuan
Vice President
Deng Rong
Parent organization
Liaison Bureau of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission
SubsidiariesCenter for Peace and Development Studies
AffiliationsChinese Communist Party
Websitewww.caifc.org.cn Edit this at Wikidata
China Association for International Friendly Contact
Simplified Chinese中国国际友好联络会
Traditional Chinese中國國際友好聯絡會
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese友联会

The China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) is a united front organization subordinate to the Liaison Bureau of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission.[1][2][3] CAIFC was founded in 1984 and is active in overseas influence operations to promote the interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[4][5][6]

According to a 2018 report by the United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission, CAIFC "performs dual roles of intelligence collection and conducting propaganda and perception management campaigns."[7] The reported added, "CAIFC has additional ties to the Ministries of State Security, Civil Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, and it is a platform for deploying undercover intelligence gatherers. In addition to sending intelligence collectors abroad, CAIFC sponsors trips to China by foreign military and veteran groups, businesspeople, and former politicians which typically include contact with hand-picked PLA personnel."[7] According to academic Arthur Ding Shu-fan, "CAIFC is really an intelligence agency affiliated with the General Political Department to study foreign military strategies. Its goal is to come up with measures to destroy the PLA's enemies."[8]

CAIFC's chairman is Chen Yuan who replaced Li Zhaoxing.[9][10] CAIFC operates an affiliated think tank called the Center for Peace and Development Studies.[11][12]

History[edit]

Scholar Anne-Marie Brady stated that CAIFC traditionally "interacted with a wider range of groups" than did the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and had close links to Deng Xiaoping.[13] CAIFC's vice president is Deng Rong, a daughter of Deng Xiaoping.[14][15]

In 2007, a founding member of CAIFC, Wang Qingqan, was sentenced to death for spying on behalf of Japan.[12] In 2015, CAIFC's head, Xing Yunming, was arrested on corruption charges.[8]

CAIFC has hosted forums with prominent executives and political leaders such as Bill Gates, Tony Blair, John Howard, and Malcolm McCusker.[10][16] The organization has maintained cooperative relationships with private Chinese companies such as CEFC China Energy and its former head Ye Jianming.[17][18] In June 2020, it was reported that CAIFC had provided financial support to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.[19]

Sanya Initiative[edit]

Since 2008, CAIFC has partnered with Tung Chee-hwa's China–United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and the EastWest Institute to organize forums, termed the U.S.-China Sanya Initiative, between retired People's Liberation Army officers and retired U.S. military personnel.[20][1][21] CAIFC was reported to have unsuccessfully attempted to influence retired U.S. military officers, including retired admiral William Owens, to lobby against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and to delay a Pentagon report on the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army.[22][23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Wortzel, Larry M. (March 1, 2014). "The Chinese People's Liberation Army and Information Warfare". Monographs, Collaborative Studies, & Irps. Strategic Studies Institute: 33–34. JSTOR resrep11757. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  2. ^ Gill, Bates; Mulvenon, James (2002). "Chinese Military-Related Think Tanks and Research Institutions". The China Quarterly. 171 (171): 617–624. doi:10.1017/S0009443902000384. ISSN 0305-7410. JSTOR 4618772. S2CID 154828240.
  3. ^ Joske, Alex (June 1, 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.
  4. ^ 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 2019-11-30.
  5. ^ Diamond, Larry; Schell, Orville, eds. (2019). China's Influence and American Interests : Promoting Constructive Vigilance (PDF). Chicago: Hoover Institution Press. pp. 23–24. ISBN 978-0-8179-2288-7. OCLC 1104533323. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Stokes, Mark; Hsiao, Russell (October 14, 2013). "The People's Liberation Army General Political Department: Political Warfare with Chinese Characteristics" (PDF). Project 2049 Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 14, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  7. ^ a b 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. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Chan, Minnie (2015-03-04). "Chinese military intelligence chief Xing Yunming held in graft inquiry". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  9. ^ "陈元 - 会长 - 中国国际友好联络会". China Association for International Friendly Contact. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  10. ^ a b Wade, Geoff (2013-11-12). "Spying beyond the façade". The Strategist. Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  11. ^ Report to Congress of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (PDF). United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 2011. p. 339. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  12. ^ a b Faligot, Roger (June 2019). Chinese Spies: From Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping. Translated by Lehrer, Natasha. C. Hurst & Co. pp. 247–248. ISBN 978-1-78738-096-7. OCLC 1104999295.
  13. ^ Brady, Anne-Marie (2000). Making the foreign serve China: managing foreigners in the People's Republic of China (Thesis). doi:10.25911/5d5fccdac8aba. OCLC 223059044.
  14. ^ Kroll, Andy; Choma, Russ (March 15, 2017). "Businesswoman Who Bought Trump Penthouse Is Connected to Chinese Intelligence Front Group". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  15. ^ Huang, Zheping (March 16, 2017). "An intricate web ties the woman who paid $16 million for Trump's condo to China's power elite". Quartz. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Sheridan, Michael (2023-12-03). "Blair is dupe in Chinese spy plot". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  17. ^ Mattis, Peter (January 30, 2018). "China's 'Three Warfares' in Perspective". War on the Rocks. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  18. ^ Marsh, Jenni (December 2018). "The rise and fall of a Belt and Road billionaire". CNN. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  19. ^ "Row continues over Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and its 'Chinese' donation connection". The Economic Times. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  20. ^ Cavanaugh, Joshua (June 3, 2020). "U.S.-China Sanya Initiative Dialogue: Report from the 11th Meeting". EastWest Institute. Archived from the original on 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  21. ^ "Retired foreign military officers meet". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. October 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009.
  22. ^ Kan, Shirley A. (July 25, 2013). "U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  23. ^ Garnaut, John (2013-05-24). "China gets into the business of making friends". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-06.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=China_Association_for_International_Friendly_Contact&oldid=1214336630"