The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is an organ of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) responsible for conducting "united front work." It manages relations with, gathers intelligence on, and attempts to gain influence over elite individuals and organizations inside and outside mainland China, including in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and in other countries. The United Front Department was first established in 1938 following the establishment of the Second United Front with the Kuomintang during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1944, Central Urban Work Department was established to co-ordinate united front efforts. During the Chinese Civil War, it worked to rally as much as support for the CCP in its fight against the Kuomintang. The department was renamed to the United Front Work Department in 1948. During the Cultural Revolution, the UFWD was forced to shut down. It was re-established in 1979 under Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Since 2012, the role and scope of the UFWD has expanded and intensified under CCP general secretary Xi Jinping. The UFWD is primarily responsible for managing and implementing the CCP Central Committee's guidelines and policies on the united front, specifically including work related to China's minor parties, ethnic minorities, religious affairs, the non-public sector, overseas Chinese, "new social strata," non-CCP intellectuals, as well as matters relating to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang. The UFWD focuses its work on people or entities that are outside the CCP who hold political, commercial, religious, or academic influence, or who represent interest groups. Through its efforts, the UFWD seeks to ensure that these individuals and groups are supportive of or useful to CCP interests and that potential critics remain divided.
History The United Front Work Department was created during the Chinese Civil War, and was reestablished in 1979 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Since 2012, the role and scope of the UFWD has expanded and intensified under CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.
Civil war and gaining power
United front policies were most used in two periods before the Chinese Communist Revolution, namely from 1924 to 1927, and from 1936 to 1945, when the CCP cooperated with the Kuomintang ostensibly to defeat the Japanese. The simplest formulation of united front work in the period was to "rally as many allies as possible in order to...defeat a common enemy." According to Mareike Ohlberg, its stated goal was to "build the broadest possible coalition with all social forces that are relevant". In the early years, the CCP also used united front policies to cooperate with "disaffected warlords, religious believers, ethnic minorities, overseas Chinese, and minor parties and groups," in order for the CCP to appear democratic and to persuade key groups that the Nationalists were "illegitimate and repressive while the CCP embodied progress, unity, and democracy." CCP began to establish united front work departments following the establishment of the Second United Front with the Kuomintang during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1938, the CCP Central Committee stipulated the establishment of united front work departments under CCP committees at the district level and above. On 5 January 1939, a Central United Front Department with Wang Ming in charge was established. In May 1944, the Central Urban Work Department was established to coordinate united front efforts. The department ceased operation following the end of the war but was re-established during the Chinese Civil War. During the war, the Urban Work Department was important in efforts to develop allies and support for the CCP, including from minor political parties, termed "democratic parties." In September 1948, the Urban Work Department was renamed to the Central United Front Work Department. Li Weihan was director of the UFWD from 1944 to 1964. Regarding religious policy, Li's view was that there were few counterrevolutionaries among religious believers, and that the majority were "patriotic". He believed that the CCP should be patient with most religious believers and work to increase their political consciousness. Li contended that the CCP should avoid harsh stances on religion, deeming harsh measures as counterproductive and damaging to the Party's credibility. After the Chinese Civil War, the CCP continued to deploy united front strategies to train intellectuals, "and, using thought reform based on criticism, began the transformation of the old society intellectuals." This involved violent elimination of what were termed "bourgeois and idealistic political beliefs," to instill faith in "class struggle and revolutionary change." The UFWD was used in the early years of PRC rule "to guarantee CCP oversight" over groups that were not directly associated with the Party and government. Those groups, including NGOs, were brought under the authority of the UFWD, whose job it was to "continuing to play its part in mobilizing and rallying the whole people in common struggle" after the 1949 proclamation of the People's Republic of China. When the CCP "shifted its focus from the 'mass line' to 'class struggle', the real united front disappeared. While the United Front Department still existed, its duties of uniting with all forces for the 'common struggle' shifted mainly to serving the Party's leadership and 'consolidating the proletarian dictatorship'," according to Brookings Institution visiting fellow Zhang Ye.
Cultural Revolution During the Cultural Revolution, the UFWD was accused of being "capitulationist" and forced to shut down.
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