Entity Type: PRC Party-State Agency

The Gansu International Communication Center (甘肅國際傳播中心) is a media organization established on August 29, 2022, directly under the supervision of the Propaganda Office of the Gansu Provincial Committee of the CCP (中共甘肅省委宣傳部) — and sponsored by the Gansu Daily Media Group (甘肅日報報業集團). The ICC is part of a national strategy under Xi Jinping since 2018, accelerating from 2021, to enhance China’s global communication strategy by leveraging local and regional media assets. GICC’s overseas media accounts include the Facebook accounts “Gansu Flavor,” “Gansu Focus” and possibly also “HiGansu,” as well as the X account “Explore Gansu.”

The State Council Information Office (SCIO) is the external nameplate of the Central Propaganda Department (中共中央宣傳部) of the Chinese Communist Party. Established in January 1991, SCIO was created to improve China’s international image following the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Until 2014, SCIO operated under the arrangement known as “one institution with two names” (一個機構兩塊牌子) alongside the Office of External Propaganda (OEP). In May 2014, the OEP was formally absorbed into the Central Propaganda Department, transforming SCIO into an external nameplate. SCIO’s functions include holding press conferences on major national policies, providing media materials to introduce China internationally, assisting foreign journalists covering China, and encouraging Chinese media to report on international news. While SCIO’s official description claims it “promotes communication, understanding and trust between China and countries across the world,” scholars describe it as the “public face” of China’s “foreign propaganda work.”

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (中華人民共和國教育部) is the State Council agency responsible for regulating all aspects of the educational system in mainland China, including compulsory basic education, vocational education, and tertiary education. Established on October 1, 1949, as the Ministry of Education of the Central People’s Government, the ministry initially operated under the oversight of the Culture and Education Commission. From 1985 to 1998, it was renamed the State Education Commission before returning to its current title following State Council restructuring. The ministry has undergone multiple reorganizations, including temporary abolition during the Cultural Revolution from 1970 to 1975. Currently headed by Huai Jinpeng (懷進鵬), who was appointed Minister in August 2021, the Ministry certifies teachers, standardizes curriculum and textbooks, establishes educational standards, and oversees 75 affiliated universities as part of its mission to “modernize China through education.”

The Wuxi Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party serves as the local leadership organ for the Communist Party in Wuxi, a major city in Jiangsu province. The committee oversees political governance for this economically significant municipality, which serves as a regional hub for manufacturing, technology, and foreign investment. Wuxi has attracted substantial international business presence, particularly from South Korean companies, with nearly 800 Korean enterprises operating in the city. The municipality maintains sister-city relationships globally, with South Korea representing its largest source of such partnerships. 

The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (中国人民对外友好协会), or CPAFFC, is a Beijing-based organization established in May 1954 that manages sister city relationships and international cultural exchanges — and serves as a key conduit for establishing links with individuals and organizations overseas favorable to the official agendas of the CCP leadership. Directly under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA, the organization, as its name suggests, is officially geared toward promoting “friendship” (友谊) between Chinese and foreign peoples, but the CCP’s conception of friendship centers on notions going back to Soviet Russia that emphasize harmony, lack of criticism and even accommodation of China’s positions and goals.

The Guangdong Provincial People’s Government (廣東省人民政府) serves as the provincial administrative authority for Guangdong Province in the People’s Republic of China. Established on November 6, 1949, the government operates as the executive organ of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress, implementing policies from Beijing while managing local affairs across the nation’s most economically dynamic province. Based in Guangzhou, the provincial government oversees constituent departments and institutions that manage everything from economic development to social services. The government exercises broad administrative powers including economic planning, urban development, education, healthcare, and environmental protection while serving as the key interface between central government directives and local implementation in China’s manufacturing and export hub.

The Guangdong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (GDPAFFC) is a provincial branch of China’s national friendship association system, established to promote people-to-people diplomacy and international cooperation between Guangdong province and other countries. Operating under the broader framework of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), which reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and directly under the management of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government Foreign Affairs Office (广东省人民政府外事办公室), the organization manages sister city relationships and cultural exchanges while serving as a conduit for establishing links with overseas individuals and organizations favorable to Beijing’s official agendas. The GDPAFFC promotes the Communist Party’s conception of “friendship,” emphasizing harmony and accommodation of China’s positions rather than critical dialogue.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (中國科學院) is China’s national academy for natural sciences and the government’s highest scientific consultancy body. Founded with historical origins in the Republican-era Academia Sinica, CAS operates as “the world’s largest research organization” with 106 research institutes, two universities, and over 150,000 employees and students. The academy describes itself as “the linchpin of China’s drive to explore and harness high technology and the natural sciences for the benefit of China and the world,” though it functions primarily as a state-directed scientific apparatus advancing government priorities. CAS played crucial roles in China’s nuclear weapons program and computing development, while today co-organizing major government initiatives like the World Artificial Intelligence Conference alongside multiple Chinese ministries.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工業和信息化部) is a cabinet-level executive department of China’s State Council, established in 2008 to supersede the Ministry of Information Industry. MIIT oversees regulation and development of telecommunications, internet, broadcasting, electronics, software industry, and industrial policy. The ministry plays a central role in China’s technological governance, including an active role in implementing technical aspects of internet censorship including the approval since 2023 of all mobile apps distributed in the country. The ministry also manages radio spectrum allocation. MIIT spearheaded the “Made in China 2025” industrial plan and co-organizes major government initiatives like the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, functioning as a key instrument for advancing state priorities in technology and industrial development while maintaining strict control over China’s digital infrastructure.