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 to promote Chinese 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
AbbreviationCCPPNR
Formation1988 (1988)
Location
  • Beijing
Parent organization
United Front Work Department
Websitewww.zhongguotongcuhui.org.cn
China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification
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
Hanyu Pinyinquánqiú huáqiáo Huárén cùjìn Zhōngguó hépíngtǒngyī dàhuì
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 is chaired by Yu Zhengsheng and its vice-chair is Sun Chunlan.[2][6] In the United States, a national-level council is registered as a non-profit called the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU) and is not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[6][2] In 2019, Li "Cindy" Yang, a vice-president of a Florida-based council, was arrested and convicted after attempting to gain entry to Mar-a-Lago.[10][11]

In a speech in May 2020, Li Keqiang dropped the word "peaceful" when referring to "reunification" with Taiwan.[12] 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.[13] In October 2020, the State Department designated the NACPU a "foreign mission" of the People's Republic of China.[14][15]

Annual Global Conference

In addition to local events, the council organizes a global annual conference held in different cities.

Year City
2000Berlin
2001Tokyo
2002Sydney
2003Moscow
2004Vienna
2006Macau
2007Budapest
2009Los Angeles
21 September 2010Hong Kong
2011Washington DC

Reaction

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 previously been under the control of the CCP.[1][6]

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.[16][17][18] The ACPPRC was previously headed by Huang Xiangmo who was subsequently banned from entering Australia due to national security concerns.[19]

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. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. "China drops word 'peaceful' in latest push for Taiwan 'reunification'". Reuters. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  13. Pamuk, Humeyra (September 23, 2020). "Pompeo warns U.S. politicians to be alert to Chinese 'influence and espionage'". Reuters. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  14. "U.S. designates Chinese body a foreign mission, quits local cooperation agreement". Reuters. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  15. "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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
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