China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification

History

The council was set up in 1988 by paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and the CCP's United Front Work Department.

The council was previously chaired by Wang Yang and vice chair You Quan. On 11 September 2023, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) chairman Wang Huning was elected as the president of the council.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3234299/beijings-top-political-adviser-picked-lead-taiwan-reunification-group-stresses-fight-against|title= Beijing's top political adviser picked to lead Taiwan reunification group, stresses fight against 'separatist forces'|last=Cai|first=Vanessa|date=2023-09-12|website=South China Morning Post|access-date=13 September 2023}}

Functions

The council is a united front organization, designed to promote unification with Taiwan, coming under the purview of the United Front Work Department. It is led by a president, elected at a plenary meeting of the council; though not required by law, the CCPPNR is usually led by the chairman of the CPPCC while the head of the United Front Work Department serves as its executive vice president.

According to scholar Anne-Marie Brady, in addition to promoting unification, "the organization also engages in a range of activities which support Chinese foreign policy goals, including block-voting and fund-raising for ethnic Chinese political candidates who agree to support their organization's agenda." Scholars and observers have noted that the council and its events are part of the political influence agenda of the CCP and that Taiwan has never been under the control of the PRC.

Branches

The council's main body oversees more than 200 chapters in multiple countries. , the council had chapters in at least 91 countries, as well as five transnational chapters.

Australia

In 2019, it was reported that the Australia-based branch, the Australia Council for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification (ACPPRC), was not registered as a foreign agent even though it acts to influence Australian politics. The ACPPRC was previously headed by Huang Xiangmo who was subsequently banned from entering Australia due to national security concerns.

Japan

The Japanese branch of the council was established in Tokyo in 2000. Its affiliate branches include All-Japan Overseas Chinese China Peaceful Reunification Council , established in 2005, and the All-Japan Chinese Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Unification of China , established in 2018. The council also lists the Japan Overseas Chinese Federation as an affiliate in its website.

New Zealand

The New Zealand branch of the council, founded in 2000, is called the Peaceful Reunification of China Association of New Zealand.

Turkey

The Turkish branch of the council is called the China Peaceful Unification Association (CPUA, , ). During the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, the CPUA donated medical face masks to the Istanbul municipal government, as well as to Istanbul's Maltepe and Beşiktaş districts.

United States

In the United States, multiple local councils exist and a national-level council is registered as a non-profit called the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU). NACPU is also registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Some of NACPU's leadership overlaps with a similar group, the Alliance for China's Peaceful Reunification (ACPR), which has organized protests against visits to the U.S. by Taiwanese officials such as Tsai Ing-wen. In 2019, the council had 36 chapter organizations throughout the US, located across ten states, Washington, D.C., as well as US territories of Puerto Rico and Guam.

In 2019, U.S. congressional representative Judy Chu was named "honorary chairwoman" of a branch council called the Forums for Peaceful Reunification of China, an organization opposed to Taiwanese independence.

In 2019, Li "Cindy" Yang, a vice-president of the organization's Florida-based council, was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly "peddling access" to Mar-a-Lago. Subsequently, the Florida branch, named the Florida Association for China Unification Inc., filed for dissolution. Despite evidence that laws may have been broken, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted not to investigate elections finance law complaints against Yang.

In September 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the State Department had begun reviewing the activities of the CCPPNR in the U.S. In October 2020, NACPU was designated a foreign mission by the United States Department of State.

In 2022, the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a warning notice to state and local leaders citing the NACPU, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the United Front Work Department.

In 2023, the founder of the Texas Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification, John Shing-Wan Leung, was jailed for life in China on espionage charges.

In May 2023, the founder of the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China (NEAPUC), Liang Litang, was indicted for acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the Chinese government and for surveilling and harassing Chinese dissidents. He was later found not guilty.

References

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