Entity Type: PRC Party-State Agency

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 Honghe County Taiwan Affairs Office (紅河縣台辦) is a county-level administrative agency responsible for implementing cross-strait policies within the local-level Honghe County in Yunnan Province. Established as part of the broader Taiwan Affairs Office network that was created in 1988 under the leadership of the CCP’s Central Committee and State Council, the local office manages all Taiwan-related policies, including personnel exchanges, seminars, and international visits. The office coordinates with the provincial-level TAO.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of Yunnan People’s Government (雲南省人民政府台灣事務辦公室) is a provincial government agency responsible for coordinating cross-strait exchanges and implementing propaganda activities in line with Chinese Communist Party objectives regarding Taiwan. Operating under the “one institution with two names” arrangement, it simultaneously functions as the CCP Yunnan Committee Taiwan Work Office (中共雲南省委台灣工作辦公室), with the party designation used for party-to-party interactions with Taiwan. The office serves as Yunnan Province’s centralized management department for Taiwan-related affairs, reporting to both the provincial party committee and government while implementing guidelines set by the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which is also the CCP Central Committee’s Taiwan Work Office. This organization has no relationship with Taiwan’s government and operates within the People’s Republic of China’s framework claiming Taiwan as a province, coordinating activities that advance Beijing’s “reunification” policies through cultural, economic, and media exchanges.

The Propaganda Office of the Ningxia Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中共寧夏回族自治區委員會宣傳部) serves as the chief office responsible for communicating the agendas of the regional party leadership and overseeing state-run media throughout Ningxia, including direct supervision of the Ningxia Daily Media Group (寧夏日報報業集團) and other regional outlets. The office coordinates party ideological work across the autonomous region, exercising comprehensive control over news, publishing, and cultural production within Ningxia’s borders. It enforces the party’s media discipline, ensuring all local outlets maintain proper political orientation and implement public opinion guidance (輿論導向). The office maintains direct administrative authority over major media conglomerates in the region and oversees ideological compliance across newspapers, broadcasting, and digital platforms.