Beijing’s United Front and quiet transfer of western technology

Cheryl Yu/War on the Rocks: Not every member is aware of the system’s logic. In fact, many overseas ethnic Chinese people are victims of the Chinese Communist Party’s united front work because the party intentionally targets this community with propaganda, emotional appeals, and sometimes coercion. But at the leadership level, all maintain ties to the united front system. Its day-to-day activities may look benign, but it remains a carefully cultivated network that the party can mobilize when needed. It is directly used as a tool by the party for military-linked cooperation and illicit technology transfer…