Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP)

jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...

, the hidden front (, sometimes translated as "hidden battlefront", "hidden struggle" or "covert front") is a phrase that describes CCP espionage, including when the CCP was still an

underground movement During World War II, resistance movements operated in German-occupied Europe by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation to propaganda, hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns. In many countries, r ...

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

before the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949.

Contemporary usage

In China

A government website in

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

, in reference to CCP intelligence activities against the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, remarked that "fighters on the covert front are loyal guardians of national security. At present, the situation of the struggle is changing, the situation of the hidden enemy is grim and complicated, and on the special battlefield of the hidden front, there are many unsung heroes who are silently dedicating their youth and lives." The ''Strait Herald'', a newspaper of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the CCP, credited the hidden front for uncovering what it claims to be espionage activities of " the two Michael's" following Canada's arrest of

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei" sometimes stylized as "HUAWEI"; ; zh, c=华为, p= ) is a Chinese multinational corporationtechnology company in Longgang, Shenzhen, Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its main product lines include teleco ...

CFO

Meng Wanzhou Meng Wanzhou ( zh, c=孟晚舟; born 13 February 1972), also known as Cathy Meng and Sabrina Meng, also informally known in China as the "Princess of Huawei", is a Chinese business executive. She is the deputy chair of the board and chief fin ...

. Former Ministry of State Security director and

CCP Politburo The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the executive committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Currently, the bureau is ...

member

Chen Wenqing Chen Wenqing (, IPA: ; born 24 January 1960) is a Chinese intelligence officer, politician and member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party who currently serves as the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. ...

called on party members at all levels to attach great importance to and support the work of the "hidden front". The 2020 edition of '' The Science of Military Strategy'' (), a core textbook for

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

(PLA) officers, states that enemy hidden front activities, such as

psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), has been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations ( MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...

and inciting defections, have become increasingly intense.

In the West

According to

Alex Joske Alex W. Joske () is a Chinese Australians, Chinese-Australian author, sinologist, open-source intelligence researcher, and risk consultant who investigates the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), particularly its influence operations. Previously a res ...

, ''hidden front'' describes

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

, counterespionage, and influence operations in support of China's national objectives, as well as similar actions taken by adversaries. According to ''

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the State media, state-owned international radio news network of France. With 59.5 million listeners in 2022, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world ...

'', the hidden front involves Chinese intelligence officers as well as their cooptees such as diplomats, journalists, businesspeople, and students.

References

{{Reflist Jargon Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party Chinese political catchphrases United front (China)