The united front in Taiwan is an aspect of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Government of China's larger united front strategy, applied to Taiwan, to achieve unification.[1][2] It relies on the presence of pro-Beijing sympathizers in Taiwan combined with a carrot-and-stick approach of threatening war with Taiwan while offering opportunities for business and cultural exchanges.[3][4][5] According to officials of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the CCP has long relied on organized crime as part of its united front tactics in Taiwan.[6] Critics who are negative of Chinese unification have linked the term "united front" to Chinese imperialism and expansionism.[7]
- ^ Cole, J. Michael (27 December 2019). "Taiwan and CCP political warfare: A blueprint". Sinopsis. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Hong, Brendon (28 October 2020). "China's Real Invasion of Taiwan Has Already Started". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ McCarthy, Simone (1 August 2022). "'Win hearts and minds' in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Xi urges Communist Party". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Tsang, Steve Yui-Sang; Tien, Hung-mao (1999). Democratization in Taiwan: Implications for China. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-73783-5. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ Yu-fu, Chen; Chin, Jonathan (5 September 2021). "Beijing boosts influence drive: report". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Sam. "Beijing uses organized crime to interfere in Taiwan's elections, and likely does in Canada: Taiwanese official". www.thebureau.news. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "Notes from Central Taiwan: Imaginings of another Taiwan". Taipei Times. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
Today we know terms like "united front" in the context of Chinese imperialism and expansionism, but in the 1930s the term had another meaning: it encapsulated the desire of Asians struggling to form a "united front" against external imperialism.