Foreign Hostile Forces

Foreign hostile forces ( zh, , p=Jìngwài Díduì Shìlì, s=境外敌对势力) is a term used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to refer to external threats to political stability and the political system. The term is also used in Taiwan in regards to the Anti-Infiltration Act to refer to China.

History

The earliest mention of the term dates back to 6 December 1948, when the ''People's Daily'' translated an article from a Russian writer commemorating the 10th anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s ''History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)'', which used the term "hostile class forces" (). In the 1950s, all references to this term in ''People's Daily'' and other state media came from this origin. In his essay titled '' On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People'' in 1957, Mao Zedong spoke repeatedly about the "hostile class" (), arguing it was necessary to "clearly distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and between right and wrong". In this view, "hostile forces" () referred to those that outside the definition of "the people" (). During the Cultural Revolution, "hostile forces" referred to the internal enemies of the CCP, opponents of Mao, as well as those who were against socialism around the world.

During the period of reform and opening up, the term was used by CCP hardliners to warn against the destabilization of the political system. Top CCP leader Hu Qiaomu wrote on ''People's Daily'' on 6 October 1978: "The socialist society, as a nascent system, has not yet been consolidated, and we must devote considerable power in dealing with hostile forces at home and abroad." He continued by saying, "the hostile forces opposing the Party and opposing socialism could possibly appear behind the mask of the right, or behind the mask of the left." The term was particularly used in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen square protests and massacre. On 4 June 1990, in the first anniversary of the protests, ''People's Daily'' wrote regarding the protests: "The purpose of the hostile forces at home and abroad in manufacturing this storm was to overthrow the leadership of the CCP, to subvert the socialist system, and turn China into a vassal of the capitalist developed countries". It was also used after the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. ''People's Daily'' wrote on 26 July 1990 that "the emergence and spread of Falun Gong is a political struggle for the masses and for oliticalposition between hostile forces at home and abroad and our Party".

Description

The term has frequently been used by Chinese state media and Chinese authorities to raise allegations of foreign interference, including towards the protest movements in Hong Kong. It has also been used to describe the United States and its allies. The term has also been used by nationalist accounts on social media against liberal domestic media, social organizations and individuals. Regarding "hostile forces", CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping said in 2022:

The Counterespionage Law of the People's Republic of China that passed in 2014 describes "hostile organizations" () as "organizations that are hostile to the people's democratic dictatorship and the socialist system of the People's Republic of China and endanger national security" as determined by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security.

Usage in Taiwan

In Taiwan, foreign hostile forces are described by the Anti-Infiltration Act as countries or political entities at war or engaging in a military standoff with Taiwan. The law bars people from accepting money or acting on instructions from foreign hostile forces to lobby for political causes, make political donations, or disrupt assemblies, social order, elections, and referendums. In March 2025, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te described China as a foreign hostile force.{{Cite news , last=Davidson , first=Helen , date=2025-03-14 , title=Taiwan's president labels China a 'foreign hostile force' and ramps up security measures citing 'infiltration' , url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/14/taiwan-president-lai-ching-te-china-hostile-force-speech , access-date=2025-03-16 , work=The Guardian , language=en-GB , issn=0261-3077

Notes

References

Political terminology in China
Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party