Entity Type: PRC Party-State Agency

The National Development and Reform Commission (國家發展和改革委員會) is the third-ranked executive department of China’s State Council, functioning as the country’s main macroeconomic control institution. Established in November 1952 as the State Planning Commission and modeled after the Soviet Gosplan, the NDRC has broad administrative and planning control over China’s economy, earning the reputation of being a “mini-state council.” The commission oversees China’s five-year plans, manages major infrastructure projects, and coordinates economic policies including foreign investment restrictions and the Social Credit System. NDRC co-organizes major government initiatives like the World Artificial Intelligence Conference alongside multiple Chinese ministries, serving as a central instrument for implementing the Chinese Communist Party’s economic development strategies and maintaining state control over China’s economic planning and development.

Formed in Beijing on December 22, 1981, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (中華全國台灣同胞聯誼會), or ACFTC, is identified in official Chinese sources as “a bridge and belt for the CCP and the government in connecting with Taiwanese brethren.” While this clearly demonstrates the organization’s semi-official status and its leadership under the Party, the group is referred to as a “people’s organization” (民眾團體) — somewhat disguising its role as a Party-state vehicle for influencing Taiwan. Since 2017, the ACFTC has assumed a more proactive role in directing influence activities toward Taiwanese. As of August 2025, the chair of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots is Zheng Jianmin (郑建闽), serving since 2022, who is the former vice-governor of Fujian province and a member of the CPPCC. 

The China Association for Science and Technology (中國科學技術協會) describes itself as “the largest non-governmental organization of scientific and technological professionals in China,” though it explicitly “serves as a bridge that links the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government to the country’s science and technology community.” Its sponsoring institution is the State Council of China, the central government. Founded in September 1958 through the merger of two scientific organizations, CAST maintains ties with millions of scientists and engineers through 210 national member societies. The organization is a constituent member of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. CAST operates overseas recruitment programs for technology transfer, including “offshore entrepreneurial bases” in multiple countries and partnerships with organizations like CAST-USA, a non-profit formed in the US in 1992. The organization co-organizes major government initiatives like the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, functioning as a state-directed vehicle for managing China’s scientific community and advancing party-state priorities in science and technology development.

Founded in 1983, the Liaoning Provincial Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (辽宁省台湾同胞联谊会) is identified in official sources as a “patriotic people’s organization” (民众团体) under the direct leadership of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the CCP. Like it’s parent chapter at the national level, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (中华全国台湾同胞联谊会), the Liaoning chapter describes itself as serving as “a bridge and belt for the provincial CCP committee and government in connecting with Taiwan compatriots.” It serves as a key vehicle at the provincial level, working closely with the national organization, to promote official CCP agendas including the “reunification” of China and Taiwan, and opposition to Taiwan independence. 

The International Poverty Reduction Center in China was established in May 2005 through a joint initiative between the Chinese government, United Nations Development Programme, and other international organizations. Originally operating as a direct subsidiary of China’s State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, the center now functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs following government reorganization in 2021. The center serves as China’s primary platform for international poverty reduction cooperation, conducting research, training programs, and policy exchanges with developing countries. It operates under a dual institutional structure, functioning both as a Chinese government entity facilitating South-South cooperation and as an international organization promoting global poverty reduction efforts. The center has organized numerous international training programs and forums, hosting officials from over 100 countries to share China’s poverty alleviation experiences — a key theme of China’s public diplomacy and external propaganda — and to promote international development cooperation initiatives across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, in line with China’s positioning of itself as a Global South leader.

The Xinhua News Agency National High-End Think Tank (新华社国家高端智库), abbreviated as NCR, is the only media-focused institution among China’s national high-end think tanks. According to its organizational structure, it operates through six specialized centers focusing on areas including national strategy, world affairs, economic research, communication strategy, public policy, and public opinion. The think tank claims to conduct “forward-looking, strategic, and reserve research” on major domestic and international issues, with an emphasis on policy research. In 2019, it established the “Belt and Road” International Think Tank Cooperation Committee, which it says includes more than 130 think tanks from China and abroad. In February 2025, it released a report on civilizational exchange at a China-Japan dialogue in Tokyo, which claimed to offer “Chinese solutions” for deepening cultural understanding between nations. The organization appears to serve as both a research institution and what it calls an “international platform” for advancing Chinese policy perspectives through academic exchanges and global think tank networks.

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.

The Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中共雲南省委) is the chief leadership body at the provincial level in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. The committee oversees functional offices including Organization (meaning CCP appointments), propaganda (media and ideological control), and “united front work” (coordination of activities for global and non-Party influence), alongside specialized offices for cyberspace affairs, foreign affairs, and deepening reform. It directly manages key institutions like Yunnan Party School, the Yunnan Daily Newspaper Group (雲南日報報業集團), and the Yunnan Institute of Socialism, maintaining comprehensive control over political, media, and educational activities across this strategically important border province.

The Propaganda Office of the Baoshan Committee of the CCP is the office under the Chinese Communist Party leadership in the city, which is located about 60 kilometers from China’s border with Myanmar. The office is charged with ensuring media outlets “strictly observe propaganda requirements” and “firmly observe correct guidance of public opinion,” particularly on sensitive issues, while transmitting content priorities from higher party levels. It controls the party’s mouthpiece newspaper, the Baoshan Daily (保山日报).