Expert testimony and research point to thousands of organizations tied to Chinese Communist Party outreach networks operating across Western countries.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A network of organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s “United Front” system is operating within the United States and other Western nations, according to findings cited in a report by The Epoch Times, alongside analysis from policy experts and congressional materials.
Peter Mattis, president of the Jamestown Foundation, said the United Front system is designed to extend the influence of the Chinese Communist Party beyond its borders by mobilizing individuals and organizations outside China. In an interview, he described it as “basically a way in which the party tries to control and mobilize the people that are outside” the country.
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Mattis said the network can be used for multiple purposes, including identifying talent in political and scientific fields and facilitating technology transfer. “It’s a tool that can be used for technology transfer. It’s a tool that can be used to talent spot—whether you’re looking for political talent, whether you’re looking for scientific talent—to bring back to the PRC,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
According to a separate report from the Jamestown Foundation, more than 2,000 organizations linked to the United Front system have been identified across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. Congressional researchers have also noted that the system operates alongside Chinese diplomatic and intelligence structures and is coordinated by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, according to a House Select Committee memo.
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Mattis said the structure can involve participation from individuals within civic or community organizations, sometimes without broader awareness among members. He described a dynamic in which established associations may be used to convey positions aligned with Beijing, potentially influencing local, state and national decision-makers.
“They’re essentially hijacking our citizens’ voices to represent the party,” Mattis said, adding that such activity can affect how elected officials interpret constituent views.
He compared the system to a concealed network, stating that organizations can be cultivated in ways that obscure connections to Chinese state entities, including the Ministry of State Security, the People’s Liberation Army and the Ministry of Public Security.
The United Front system has also been linked to overseas activities involving law enforcement cooperation. A 2022 report by Safeguard Defenders documented more than 100 overseas police stations operating in 53 countries. The report stated that Chinese authorities often work through affiliated civil organizations to establish what it described as alternative enforcement mechanisms abroad.
In the United States, one such case emerged in New York City in 2023, when the FBI arrested two individuals accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government to monitor and target dissidents.
Mattis said the United Front reflects a broader governance model within China that prioritizes ideological control. He pointed to the country’s 2015 National Security Law, which defines national security in terms of threats to the Communist Party’s authority, both domestically and internationally.
“So there’s always a perpetual search for enemies, a perpetual search for ideas that are dangerous,” Mattis said. “So the border that matters is not the People’s Republic and the rest of the world, it’s the party and everyone else.”
He added that this approach extends to overseas Chinese communities, which Beijing monitors for ideas or information that could influence political conditions within China.
Mattis also said Chinese-language media abroad has increasingly aligned with CCP messaging, and that platforms such as WeChat allow authorities to extend information controls beyond national borders, shaping access to news and communication among users outside China.
“Wherever there is connectivity to the PRC, it can be weaponized, and the party is willing to weaponize it against people,” he said. “Whether that means shaping what they read, shaping what they hear, shaping how they interact.”
Mattis concluded that the United Front system is not designed as a platform for mutual exchange between China and other nations, but rather as a mechanism for influence.
“[Former Chinese leader] Mao Zedong described United Front work as a tool to storm and shatter the enemy’s position,” he said. “That means that organization is about political struggle. It’s not about exchange.”
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