"Vigilance is Key: China's Subversion Tools and its Impact Demand India's Attention."

China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Chinese Communist Party central committee has ramped up its influence and interference operations in democratic societies. UFWD – which Mao had described as one of CCP’s ‘magic weapons’ – has received fresh funding and resources under Xi Jinping to amplify pro-China voices and silence critics.

It uses disinformation, news farms and sophisticated networks in elite circles in target countries to achieve its goals. Case in point, UFWD is alleged to have interfered in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections, whereas Britain’s MI5 had issued an alert last year that a person linked to UFWD had infiltrated the British parliament.

The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a Chinese government agency that is responsible for managing relations with non-communist organizations and individuals. The UFWD has been accused of carrying out subversive operations in countries around the world, including Africa, Asia, and the America. 

The modus operandi of the UFWD and Chinese intelligence agencies 

Infiltration of political parties and government institutions. The UFWD has been known to infiltrate political parties and government institutions in order to gain influence and promote pro-China policies. For example, in Canada, the UFWD is alleged to have infiltrated the Liberal Party and the Chinese-Canadian community in an attempt to influence the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. In 2021, the British government expelled two Chinese diplomats who were accused of trying to influence the UK Parliament. The CCP has funded Indian political parties which are well known in the public domain.

Use of front organizations to promote pro-China views. The UFWD often uses front organizations to promote pro-China views and to silence critics of the Chinese government. The UFWD has been accused of creating front organizations that promote pro-China views. These organizations often masquerade as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or academic institutions. In the United States, the UFWD has been linked to the Confucius Institutes, are accused of spreading propaganda and censoring dissenting views.

Number of media outlets which were defunct but were sympathetic towards the Chinese , have been activated .They project the Chinese view and generally focus on bringing bad name to India and the Indian government,as a part of their media warfare on behalf of China.

Economic coercion to pressure countries to comply with Chinese demands. The UFWD has also been known to use economic coercion to pressure countries to comply with Chinese demands. For example, in Africa, the Chinese government has offered loans and other economic incentives to countries that agree to support Chinese interests.For example, in 2019, the Chinese government imposed economic sanctions on Australia after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. UFWD has been accused of threatening to withhold economic aid or investment if countries do not take steps to silence critics of the Chinese government.

However it is India which has used its economic power to stop Chinese investment, in the electrical vehicles battery  sector,worth  one billion dollars. This angered the Chinese media mouthpiece Global Times.

We had similarly rejected Chinese investment in strategic sectors such as Telecom by not permitting the Chinese companies in 4G and 5G auctions inside India.