Defected United Front Official Exposes CCP Secrets in Exclusive Interview

In an interview with a CNN reporter, Ma Ruilin expressed that the longer he worked within the CCP system, the more guilt he felt. (Video screenshot)

[People News] Ma Ruilin, who previously served as the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the United Front Work Department in Gansu Province, left China with his wife and children, escaping to the United States in February 2024. After his arrival, he went into hiding and took a job at a regular noodle shop in New York. Recently, he chose to reveal his identity and participated in an exclusive interview with CNN, becoming one of the few former officials willing to come forward and expose the dark secrets of the CCP system.

CNN confirmed through the examination of documents, photographs, and related call records that Ma Ruilin had held a mid-level position within the Chinese Communist Party.

Public records indicate that Ma Ruilin was born in Lintan County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. After completing his university education in Lanzhou, he entered the CCP system, where he worked for 24 years, ultimately rising to the role of deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the United Front Work Department in Gansu Province. Ma Ruilin shared with reporters that his wife is a university professor and that his job was quite prestigious, suggesting he enjoyed a comfortable and secure life in China.

When asked by reporters, 'Why did you leave China?' he responded, 'I had been preparing to leave China for a long time. The longer I stayed in that system, the more guilty I felt. I always wanted to escape that kind of life, which felt like being in a cage.'

Currently, Ma Ruilin's mother and two younger sisters remain in China. As a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official, he has a clear understanding of the CCP's brutality. Today, he defected from the CCP, and the potential retaliation against his family is unimaginable. When a reporter asked him if he would be able to see his family again in the future, he firmly replied, 'NO.' He acknowledged that it would likely be difficult for him to reunite with his family, stating, 'I can only hope to meet my mother again in heaven someday.'

Reporter: Why do you feel a sense of guilt within the CCP system?

Ma Ruilin: 'The longer you remain within the CCP system, the more you reflect on your actions and realise that what you have been doing is not good, nor beneficial to the people. The CCP system has always been evil.'

Reporter: What specific wrongdoings have you been involved in?

Ma Ruilin: 'There have been so many negative events occurring in mainland China, and you encounter them daily in the news. The CCP's attitude towards the people and the crimes it has committed against them are numerous...'

Reporter: Can you describe something that made you uncomfortable?

Ma Ruilin: 'For instance, in the realm of Islam, demolishing mosques; in the areas of Catholicism and Christianity, tearing down crosses and prohibiting children from attending church. In all religious domains, children are barred from going to churches and temples, which effectively severs the transmission of religious beliefs.'

Reporter: Were you part of this?

Ma Ruilin: 'Yes, my work was entirely involved in this. I was part of the larger system, and every day I witnessed its actions and understood the ultimate consequences of each decision and the goals it aimed to achieve.'

Reporter: How do you prevent children from entering the temple?

Ma Ruilin: "Currently, every mosque has surveillance cameras at the entrance, and signs prohibiting minors from entering are displayed at all mosques, temples, and churches."

Reporter: Does the Chinese Communist Party recruit informants in the temples?

Ma Ruilin: "Yes."

Reporter: Is Xi Jinping popular among civil servants?

Ma Ruilin: "From my understanding, privately no one likes him, but publicly everyone has to praise him."

In an interview with a CNN reporter, Ma Ruilin expressed that the longer he worked within the CCP system, the more guilt he felt. (Video screenshot) X Video Link

According to a report by Liberty Times, Ma Ruilin disclosed the inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work during the interview. He noted that the United Front Work Department was established during Mao Zedong's era, and since Xi Jinping took power, the department's staffing has nearly doubled, evolving from a political consultation body into a massive surveillance and propaganda apparatus closely linked with national security and public security. The United Front Work Department handles a wide array of responsibilities, including so-called cognitive warfare against the people of Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as engaging with non-Party members, ethnic minorities, emerging groups like internet celebrities that have emerged in the digital age, and all matters related to religion.

Ma Ruilin candidly expressed that the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) United Front work is increasingly extending its influence. Despite being in the United States, he firmly believes that CCP agents are still monitoring him covertly. Having previously worked in the United Front Work Department, he noted that this department often recruits informants through overseas 'hometown associations' or student organisations, setting up 'secret police stations' to intimidate and even physically assault dissenters abroad. Ma Ruilin further stated that many Chinese individuals who study, work, and live abroad remain trapped in an information cocoon controlled by the CCP, as most of them use platforms like WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin, which are under CCP manipulation, receiving information that has been censored and re-edited by the party.

Ma Ruilin's testimony has provided significant support for multiple recent prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning the CCP's 'transnational repression.' The human rights organisation Safeguard Defenders previously indicated that the Chinese United Front Work Department considers the 'Five Independences' (Taiwan independence, Hong Kong independence, Tibetan independence, Xinjiang independence, and Falun Gong) as key targets. Roman Rozhavsky, the Assistant Director of Counterintelligence at the FBI, also disclosed earlier that there are currently hundreds of Chinese agents operating within the United States, actively suppressing dissenters residing in America.

Ma Ruilin has confirmed the existence of concentration camps in Xinjiang. He acknowledged that he is a Hui Muslim, yet his work has focused on monitoring religious groups that share his faith. He has been involved in demolishing mosques and expelling imams, which has contributed significantly to his growing sense of guilt over the years. Despite being a devout Muslim, he has outwardly pretended to be non-religious for an extended period to maintain his position within the system, even participating in the persecution of believers. Ma Ruilin further stated that the Chinese Communist Party suppresses religious freedom, particularly in Xinjiang, where the situation is even more difficult. 'How many people have those concentration camps detained? They are still being held, and Big Brother is watching your every move.' His deep awareness of the concentration camps in Xinjiang stems from the fact that officials from Gansu and Ningxia have been sent to Xinjiang to 'study' how to manage the Muslim population more stringently.

Moreover, Ma Ruilin expressed that he understands that by coming forward, he may cause trouble for his mother and sister, who remain in China. However, he sees this interview as a form of 'repentance,' hoping to bring a glimmer of hope to the beleaguered Muslim community in China and to apologise to the victims for his past actions. △