The National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU) has been designated as a foreign mission of China by the US now, with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo adding that the NACPU is another arm of the Chinese Communist Party.
“The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organ tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the party’s rule and spreading its influence and propaganda overseas. The CCP regards this party apparatus as a “magic weapon” to advance Beijing’s policies,” Pompeo said in a statement by the State Department.
“The Department of State designated a UFWD-controlled organization – the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU) – as a foreign mission of the PRC under the U.S. Foreign Missions Act. The goal of this action is to shine a light on this organization and make clear that their messages come from Beijing,” he added.
Pompeo, in the statement said that the UFWD along with the NACPU seeks “to spread Beijing’s malign influence in the United States”.
“Authentic people-to-people exchanges are crucial for establishing understanding between cultures, but the UFWD is not a vehicle for people-to-people exchange. Instead, it uses front organizations like the NACPU to advance the PRC’s propaganda and malign influence,” Pompeo said.
“The goal of this action is to shine a light on this organization and make clear that their messages come from Beijing, as we did when we designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS) as a foreign mission in August,” he added.