Archives: Dispatches

The Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (当代中国與世界研究院), or ACCWS, is a state think tank under the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), also known as the China International Communication Group (CICG). an agency directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. Formally established in 2017 as the successor to CIPG’s Centre for International Communication Studies, founded in 2004, ACCWS fields an internal research team of over 100 specialists alongside a network of domestic and international fellows. The institute focuses on the international dissemination of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (習近平新時代中國特色社會主義思想), foreign-discourse innovation, international public opinion, and regional communication studies. It publishes three national-level journals — including Contemporary China and the World (當代中國與世界), Chinese Translators Journal (中國翻譯), and International Communications (對外傳播) — operates a big-data platform for international communication analytics, and hosts flagship initiatives including the Global Young Leaders Dialogue and annual global surveys on China’s national image.

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (國務院僑務辦公室), or OCAO, is an agency responsible for managing and implementing the government’s policies and strategies toward overseas Chinese communities globally. Since March 2018, it functions as the principal international face of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, though it maintains its original name when conducting public business. The office was established in 1978. In March 2018, as part of deepening institutional reforms, the OCAO was merged into the UFWD, maintaining its distinct name under a practice known in China as “one institution with two names” (一個機構兩塊牌子). The office operates eight functional departments including the Secretariat Administrative Division, Policy and Legal Affairs Division, Domestic Affairs Division, and Foreign Affairs Division covering different regional portfolios. Following the 2018 reorganization, OCAO’s functions were distributed across multiple UFWD bureaus, with particular emphasis on coordinating overseas Chinese communities and cultural exchanges through educational and media initiatives.