The China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) is a

United Front A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...

organization subordinate to the Liaison Bureau of the

Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission () is the chief political organ under the Central Military Commission. It was created in January 2016 following the 2015 People's Republic of China military reform. Its predec ...

. CAIFC was founded in 1984 and is active in overseas influence operations to promote the interests of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP). According to a 2018 report by the

United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (informally, the US-China Commission, USCC) is an independent agency of the United States government. It was established on October 30, 2000, through the Floyd D. Spence National Defe ...

, CAIFC "performs dual roles of intelligence collection and conducting propaganda and perception management campaigns." The reported added, "CAIFC has additional ties to the Ministries of State Security, Civil Affairs, and

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

, 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 PLA may refer to: Organizations Politics and military * People's Liberation Army, the armed forces of China and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party * People's Liberation Army (disambiguation) ** Irish National Liberation Army, formerly called ...

personnel." CAIFC's chairman is

Chen Yuan Chen Yuan (, born in January 1945) is a Chinese economist who served as the Chairman of the China Development Bank from March 1998 to April 2013. Chen Yuan then served as Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Politica ...

who replaced

Li Zhaoxing Li Zhaoxing (; born 20 October 1940 in Jiaonan, Qingdao, Shandong) is a Chinese diplomat and politician. He served as the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2007. He graduated from Peking University in 1964. He wor ...

. CAIFC operates an affiliated think tank called the Center for Peace and Development Studies.

History

Scholar

Anne-Marie Brady Anne-Marie Sharon Brady (born 1966) is a New Zealand academic and Professor of Political Science at the University of Canterbury. She specialises in Chinese domestic and foreign politics, Antarctic and Arctic politics, Pacific politics, and ...

stated that CAIFC traditionally "interacted with a wider range of groups" than did the

Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC, or in short) is one of the major foreign affairs organizations of the People's Republic of China. The organization manages China's sister city relationships. Its ...

and had close links to

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

. CAIFC's vice president is

Deng Rong Deng Rong () is a Chinese politician and the third daughter of Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Early life Deng is the youngest child of Deng Xiaoping and his third wife, Zhuo Lin. She has two older sisters, Deng Lin and Deng Nan, as well as t ...

, a daughter of Deng Xiaoping. CAIFC has hosted forums with prominent executives and political leaders such as

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

, and

Malcolm McCusker Malcolm James McCusker (born 6 August 1938) is an Australian barrister and philanthropist who was the 31st Governor of Western Australia, serving from July 2011 to June 2014. Born in Perth, McCusker was educated at Hobart High School (in Hobar ...

. The organization has maintained cooperative relationships with private Chinese companies such as

CEFC China Energy CEFC China Energy () was a Chinese conglomerate. The company was among the 10 largest private companies in China in 2014. In 2017, the company was listed as 222 on the Fortune Global 500. In March 2020, the company -- along with its subsidiaries ...

and its former head

Ye Jianming Ye Jianming (; born 23 February 1977 − disappeared from public view in March 2018) is a Chinese businessman. He is the founder and former chairman of CEFC China Energy Company Limited, a now defunct company that used to be a Global Fortune 500 ...

. In June 2020, it was reported that CAIFC had provided financial support to the

Rajiv Gandhi Foundation The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was established on 21 June 1991. The foundation works on a range of issues including literacy, health, disability, empowerment of the underprivileged, livelihoods and natural resource management. Its current focus ar ...

Sanya Initiative

Since 2008, CAIFC has partnered with the

EastWest Institute The EastWest Institute (EWI), originally known as the Institute for East-West Security Studies and officially the Institute for EastWest Studies, Inc., was an international not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank focusing on international confli ...

and

Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...

's China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) to organize forums, termed the U.S.-China Sanya Initiative, between retired

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

officers and retired U.S. military personnel. 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.

References

External links

* {{Authority control People's Liberation Army General Political Department 1984 establishments in China Chinese propaganda organisations People's Republic of China friendship associations Organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party Chinese intelligence agencies Disinformation operations Information operations units and formations United front (China)

History

Sanya Initiative

See also

References

External links