The Global Strategy of CCP Infiltration: Starting with a Pro-CCP Advertisement Overseas

Photo: Tiananmen Square under heavy clouds. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] By Cheng Xiang – Expert on Chinese Affairs

On December 3, the New York edition of World Journal published a full-page advertisement on page B14: “Strong Protest Against Lai Ching-te’s ‘Transit’ Through the U.S. – Solemn Statement.” Approximately 120 organizations from the U.S. East Coast co-signed this statement. Similar advertisements frequently appear, celebrating occasions such as China’s National Day, welcoming certain leaders, supporting CCP policies, or protesting individuals or policies. These ads come in various forms and contents.

While these advertisements themselves hold little news value and are often ignored, examining the messages behind them offers significant analytical insights.

Pro-CCP Groups in New York Publish a Joint Advertisement (Archived Website)

1. Showcasing Results of United Front Work. The listed organizations and individuals in these ads serve as a showcase for the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), highlighting its achievements. The department evaluates its performance based on its ability to mobilize a large number of organizations to issue public advertisements during critical moments (e.g., “warm welcomes” or “strong protests”). Interestingly, the listed organizations may not necessarily fund the advertisements; they simply need to lend their names. Some groups, however, compete to be included, even paying for the privilege to demonstrate loyalty to the CCP.

2. Combat-Ready United Front Organizations. The 120+ groups involved in this advertisement likely belong to the more “combat-ready” factions under the UFWD, as protesting Lai Ching-te’s transit through the U.S. represents a “struggle against an enemy.” The CCP categorizes organizations under its control into “red lines,” “gray lines,” “white lines,” and “black lines” based on their functions.Red Line: Openly pro-CCP groups, organizations, or individuals. Gray Line: Groups with less overtly pro-CCP stances. White Line: CCP-aligned individuals embedded in opposition forces (“white-skinned but red-hearted”). Black Line: Groups with ties to local organized crime. The organizations involved in this advertisement are clearly “Red Line” groups due to their openly combative stance. However, a single advertisement only provides a limited view of the CCP’s influence in a given area, as its operations involve a diverse network of groups mobilized based on specific needs.

3. Newly Established and Co-opted Organizations. Many of the groups listed in this advertisement were established by the CCP over the past two decades, such as “Zhiqing Associations” (Returnee Youth Associations). Others represent splits from traditional overseas Chinese organizations. In New York, the oldest Chinese organization is the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), established in 1883 during the Qing Dynasty, encompassing 60 traditional associations, some dating back to the mid-19th century. Traditionally, these groups flew the flag of the Republic of China (ROC). However, in the past 20 years, many have been co-opted by the CCP, abandoning the ROC flag and pledging loyalty to Beijing. Examples of co-opted groups from the advertisement include: Chong Zheng Society、Tung On Society、Ji Xiao Du Qin Society、Tai Luk General Association、Fujian Fellowship Association、Tai Luk Yu Ying Association. Additionally, some groups have not openly supported the CCP but have quietly ceased flying the ROC flag. This trend is expected to continue as the CCP intensifies its efforts to infiltrate and divide traditional Chinese organizations.

4. These pro-CCP organizations form the CCP’s grassroots base across the United States, ready to be mobilized at any time to support the CCP. Whether supporting or opposing a cause, their actions align with the CCP’s stance, making them a unique force for the CCP within U.S. society. The CCP’s directive for its community work is to ensure that these organizations are "ready when called, capable of fighting when engaged, and victorious in battle" (as referenced in The Theory and Practice of Hong Kong Associations, edited by Li Xiaohui, page 271, Commercial Press, 2019). Originally, this principle was applied to the People’s Liberation Army, but after Xi Jinping came to power, it was extended to guide community work as well. This approach is lauded by the CCP as the so-called "Fujian Model" for association building. Some of these organizations have even been developed into CCP overseas enforcement agencies. For instance, the "Changle Association," which appears on the list of co-signatories, has been accused of operating as an overseas CCP police station, conducting law enforcement activities within U.S. territory, thereby violating American sovereignty and interfering in domestic affairs.

5. Organizational Diversity. The types of organizations involved are diverse, summarized with the term “Tong” (shared/common), covering: Shared hometowns、Shared surnames、Shared educational institutions、Shared industries、Shared hobbies、Shared political positions、Shared life experiences。 Groups that do not fit into these categories are classified as “Other.” A summary table categorizing these organizations is presented below.

Classification of Organizations Behind the Anti-Lai Ching-te Advertisement:

Organizations such as those grouped by shared hometown, surname, alma mater, profession, or hobbies have long histories. For instance, many of the 60 member organizations under the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) in New York are united by these commonalities. However, since the CCP began actively intervening in overseas community building, it has increasingly organized people with shared political stances, giving rise to groups such as the “Peaceful Reunification Associations.” Additionally, the CCP has organized individuals with shared experiences in mainland China as part of its grassroots foundation—for instance, the “Zhiqing” (Educated Youth) organizations listed in the advertisement. In Hong Kong, the CCP has even organized Indonesian-Chinese returnees who suffered under its policies in mainland China, co-opting them into its support base.

Frankly speaking, both the Zhiqing (educated youth) and returned overseas Chinese are witnesses to the CCP’s oppressive rule. Organizing them under such associations appears, on the surface, to demonstrate the CCP’s "care" for those it once persecuted. However, the real purpose is to prevent them from exposing the CCP’s crimes while abroad.

6. Community Work as a Core of CCP Overseas Infiltration

Community work is a cornerstone of the CCP’s United Front strategy and a critical avenue for infiltrating foreign societies. From the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the CCP has employed a strategy called the “Termite Policy.” This strategy involves deploying CCP members or sympathizers worldwide, operating covertly to achieve the long-term goal of expanding CCP influence globally.

What is the "Termite Policy"? According to the Hong Kong Cable TV news documentary Decoding the Future: 30 Years Later (Episode 1, August 11, 2014), the “Termite Policy” was proposed by Zhou Enlai during the early years of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. At the time, the country faced significant domestic challenges, while the international situation was complex. Hong Kong was a strategic chess piece for the CCP leadership, and Zhou Enlai developed the “Termite Policy” as part of its strategy. The documentary interviewed a veteran CCP member (anonymously, with only their voice recorded):

"The Termite Policy originated when Premier Zhou visited Xishuangbanna one year to inspect local work. At a botanical research institute, he was shown a large tree. When pushed lightly, the tree collapsed. Zhou was surprised and asked why. The researchers explained that the tree had been completely hollowed out by termites, though it appeared intact externally. This deeply inspired Zhou, who believed that the Communist Party should operate like termites—penetrating from within while maintaining the outward structure. Zhou applied this strategy to Hong Kong, calling it the 'Termite Policy.'”

Zhou Enlai later described this policy as the "Termite Spirit" and instructed CCP underground members to study and adopt this infiltration strategy.

This "Termite Policy" was later corroborated by classified CCP documents. In 1966, CCP underground organizations in Hong Kong formed a delegation to Beijing, requesting an early "liberation of Hong Kong." To reassure them and keep them committed to long-term operations in Hong Kong, Premier Zhou Enlai assigned his aide, Wu Dizhou, Deputy Director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, to meet with the group. Wu explained why the CCP was not in a hurry to "liberate" Hong Kong. According to a classified CCP document, Record of Wu Dizhou's Talk with Hong Kong and Macau Workers Delegation (1966), Wu stated: "The British want to stay in Hong Kong for a long time... They profit from Hong Kong, and so do we. On maintaining the status quo, we share common ground... Their goal is to make more money from Hong Kong, tens of thousands a year. Our goal is to take the entire world."

How could the CCP use Hong Kong to "take the entire world"? Wu instructed the CCP underground members in Hong Kong to learn and adopt the "Termite Spirit." According to the classified document, he explained to them: "You must work like termites—silently, without a sound, gradually hollowing out the entire structure. Learn the termite spirit. If you achieve this, you will have mastered the essence of the craft. To do so, you must apply Chairman Mao's teachings in practice. Learning to act like termites is not my idea; it comes from Central leadership... Your lifestyle must not be extravagant. Stay connected with the masses, live modestly, and endure hardship. For the sake of the world revolution, be prepared to persist for ten, twenty years, or even a lifetime."

Record of Wu Dizhou, Deputy Director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Meeting with the Hong Kong and Macau Workers Delegation in 1966. (Archived Website)

The CCP’s proposal to use the "Termite Spirit" to "take over the entire world" highlights the advantages of the "Termite Policy." From the author’s perspective, Zhou Enlai used termites as a metaphor for the CCP’s global infiltration strategy because termite behavior embodies the following characteristics:

1. Stealth: Termites work covertly, making it difficult to detect whether a structure has been compromised from its exterior appearance.
2. Numbers: Termites operate in large numbers, reflecting the saying, “Many ants can kill an elephant.” Even the mightiest structures can succumb to overwhelming forces.
3. Long-Term Approach: Termites do not destroy their targets in a day, requiring a patient and long-term perspective. Similarly, underground CCP operatives must adopt a strategy of sustained infiltration.
4. Silence: Termites work quietly and unobtrusively, making them hard to notice.
5. Gradual Erosion: Termites gradually weaken the structure they inhabit until it is completely destroyed. They do not cause sudden collapses that might draw attention; instead, they leave the structure appearing intact while rendering it fragile and vulnerable to easy destruction when necessary.

The aforementioned characteristics of termite operations align closely with the principles the CCP has long adhered to in conducting underground work in "enemy-occupied areas" (also referred to as "white zones"). Before 1949, the CCP extensively established various organizations in territories under Nationalist rule, expanding its influence and ultimately seizing power. Today, it employs the same "termite model" overseas, creating a wide range of organizations to carry out infiltration activities. These organizations are likely the termite nests of CCP operations.

(Adapted from Radio Free Asia)