New disclosures are intensifying scrutiny of Neville Roy Singham’s far-left activist network after revelations that one of its top ideological figures simultaneously holds a senior role at a Chinese think tank deeply embedded within the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front system.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A senior figure connected to Neville Roy Singham’s global activist network holds a formal position inside a Chinese Communist Party-linked institute whose leadership and operations are closely intertwined with the CCP’s foreign influence and United Front apparatus, according to a new investigation by Just the News.
The report centers on Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, whose advisory board is chaired by Singham. Prashad is also identified as a “senior non-resident fellow” at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, a Beijing-based think tank whose leadership includes CCP members and individuals connected to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department.
The Chongyang Institute’s own experts page lists Prashad in that role, while the Singham-linked outlet People’s Dispatch has also identified him as affiliated with the institute.
The institute is led by Wang Wen, a CCP member and dean of the Chongyang Institute, who also serves in organizations connected to the CCP’s United Front structure. Wang’s background includes leadership within the Western Returned Scholars Association, an organization identified by congressional investigators as subordinate to the CCP’s United Front Work Department.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has previously described the United Front as “an important magic weapon for the party to defeat the enemy,” language often cited by U.S. national security analysts examining Beijing’s influence operations abroad.
Prashad has publicly acknowledged his longstanding relationship with Singham. In a 2021 social media post, Prashad referred to Singham as “one of my oldest & dearest friends.” In another post, he described Singham as “a Marxist with a massive software company” who sold the company and redirected his wealth toward “political education for a new generation of radicals.”
Prashad further stated in a separate post that proceeds from the sale of Thoughtworks became the original funding source for Tricontinental and related projects expected to endure “for at least a generation.”
The investigation also details repeated overlap between the Singham Network and CCP-aligned institutions. The Chongyang Institute has promoted Prashad’s speeches, writings, and appearances in hundreds of posts on its website, while also hosting events tied to the pro-China “No Cold War” campaign backed by Singham-linked activists.
The No Cold War statement, released in 2020, argued that “a New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity.” Signatories included Prashad, Wang Wen, Medea Benjamin of Code Pink, Brian Becker of the ANSWER Coalition, and other activists connected to Singham-backed organizations. The statement was later amplified by the CCP-controlled Global Times.
Congressional Republicans have increasingly focused on the Singham Network and its ties to Chinese state-linked organizations. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith sent a letter to Prashad earlier this year alleging that Tricontinental and affiliated groups had promoted anti-American rhetoric and potentially coordinated with foreign actors.
“Since its founding in 2017, Tricontinental has been responsible for spreading Marxist and anti-American rhetoric across both the United States and the globe,” Smith wrote. “Reports indicate that Tricontinental, and individuals connected to it, have been responsible for sowing chaos and spreading Chinese propaganda, possibly in coordination with a foreign government.”
Prashad previously told the New York Times in 2023 that his organization had never received “funds or instructions from any government or political party.”
The Chongyang Institute itself maintains extensive documented ties to CCP leadership structures. The institute’s executive board includes CCP officials, Communist Party committee members, and individuals tied to China’s political advisory bodies and state ministries. Its Chinese-language website openly promotes Communist Party activities, “Party Building Work,” study sessions centered on Xi Jinping speeches, and policy coordination with CCP agencies.
The institute also describes itself as a policy advisory body working with multiple Chinese government ministries, including the Publicity Department of the CCP Central Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Department of the CCP Central Committee.
China analysts cited in the report said the network of relationships raises significant national security concerns.
“These activities and associations are hallmarks of united front entities, and increase the already significant concerns about the Singham Network,” Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Sobolik told Just the News.
The investigation also highlighted the role of another Chongyang Institute senior fellow, socialist activist John Ross, who has repeatedly praised the CCP and publicly stated he would join the Communist Party if permitted under Chinese law. Ross has participated in conferences co-hosted by Chongyang Institute, Tricontinental, and the “No Cold War” movement and has appeared alongside Prashad in events organized by Singham-linked groups.
Ross wrote in a 2023 article that he regretted being unable to join the CCP because he was not a Chinese citizen. A separate Chinese-language version of the article expressed similar sentiments after Ross received a Chinese government award honoring foreign writers supportive of China.
Despite years of congressional pressure, groups connected to the Singham Network have continued operating in the United States without being required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and their nonprofit tax status remains intact.
Comments