The then head of the United Front Work Department visited Taipei shortly after the inauguration of Tsai ing-wen as president in 2016 [File: Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo]
The article discusses China’s efforts to influence Taiwan through various means, particularly focusing on the United Front Work Department’s influence campaign. The United Front employs both formal and informal channels to achieve its objectives. The Chinese Communist Party’s agency aims to change the perceptions of the Taiwanese people, emphasizing the advantages of reunification, discouraging Taiwan independence, and undermining reliance on external support.
The United Front’s activities extend to Taiwan’s temples, including the Guanghe Fude Temple, which has been associated with the United Front Work Department. While the honorary chairman of the temple committee, Liang Tsu-wei, claims that the temple is neutral ground, political experts view these groups as a second subversive front in China’s campaign to reunify Taiwan.
The Chinese government employs a dual strategy, combining carrots and sticks, to achieve its goals. The United Front’s “carrot” approach involves cultural exchanges, peaceful reunification groups, and engagement with Taiwanese communities, both within Taiwan and abroad. The aim is to win over the Taiwanese people and delegitimize the idea of Taiwan’s independence, ultimately facilitating peaceful reunification.
However, experts caution that the United Front’s activities also serve to isolate and undermine enemies of the Chinese Communist Party. By discrediting the notion of independence and Taiwan’s separate identity, China seeks to undermine Taiwan’s position internationally.
Overall, China’s United Front Work Department plays a crucial role in Beijing’s strategy towards Taiwan, employing various tactics to influence public opinion and promote the idea of reunification while eroding support for independence.
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