China re-organizes its overseas “magic weapon”

From soft to sharp power…

80 years after Mao’s original formulation, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s United Front Work is being reorganized and strengthened, with a more streamlined organizational structure and clearer prerogatives. Its projection overseas is one particular focus, with a clear policy to zero in on Chinese diasporas.

The times when “doing united front work would not get you great successes; not doing united front work would not get you in big trouble” may well be over for China’s party cadres.

Picture credits: Wikimedia Commons

Nicolas Michelon

Nicolas is a corporate geoeconomics and strategic & business intelligence expert with 25 years of experience in the Asia-Pacific, and more recently in the Gulf and Türkiye. A Managing Partner at Alagan Partners, he advises corporate executives on how to navigate the current geopolitical and geoeconomic environment, mitigate risk and develop prospective scenarios. He is also an Adjunct Professor & Guest Lecturer in geopolitics, geoeconomics and business intelligence at ESCP Business School (France), Galatasaray University (Türkiye), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (Morocco), and Ecole de Guerre Economique (Paris School of Economic Warfare).