Entity Type: PRC Party-State Non-Profit Social Organization

The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (海峽兩岸關係協會), or ARATS, is a government-organized non-governmental organization established in 1991 by the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office to conduct ostensibly civilian cross-strait negotiations. Despite presenting itself as a semi-official body handling technical and business matters, ARATS functions as a united front organization advancing Beijing’s political agenda under the guise of practical cooperation. Its counterpart is Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (海峽交流基金會), or SEF. Talks stalled from 1999 to 2008, resuming under Taiwan’s KMT administration to produce agreements like the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. The president of the association in 2025 was Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), who previously served as director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, underscoring ARATS’s direct Party control.

The China Public Diplomacy Association (中國公共外交協會 )was established in March 2013 as a juridical association with 64 founding members, functioning as a “nationwide non-profit organization.” The organization strives to “project to the world a positive image of China that is civilized, democratic, open, and progressive, and create an international environment conducive to China’s peaceful development.” Former Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) served as its first president, followed by current president Wu Hailong (吳海龍), a former ambassador to the European Union. The association conducts theoretical research, hosts public diplomacy activities including lectures and symposiums, organizes exchanges between Chinese and foreign media, and provides training for China’s public diplomacy work, operating under the supervision of China’s foreign affairs apparatus.