How China uses soft power to exert influence in Ireland

Irish Times

30-04-2025

Following
recent revelations of the China Targets project
– an investigation by the
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
(ICIJ) involving 42 media partners, including The Irish Times – of
Chinese
party-state interference activities in Ireland, the discreet, highly impactful influence activities of the party state with regard to Irish citizens also deserve attention.
At the core of party-state influencing is the
Chinese
Communist Party's United Front Work Department (UFWD). This is a key institution involved in building relationships with individuals and organisations outside the party, including among Chinese communities overseas. UFWD work seeks to foster connections, encourage support for Beijing's positions and promote unity among ethnic Chinese people globally. This is often done through cultural outreach, forums and community events. Experts describe the UFWD as playing a strategic role in shaping how overseas Chinese communities relate to both China and their host societies.
Organs of the Chinese party state affiliated with United Front work have been active in Ireland, engaging with various levels of government and civil society.
Part of its work involves interacting with policymakers, industry and opinion leaders abroad through various intermediaries – from official party-state affiliated organisations to more covertly connected media organisations, associations and other entities that often present themselves as independent. The goal is to counter criticism of the CCP, secure support for it and advance the country's national interests. Rather than coercion, this approach mainly relies on incentives – offering events, training and media engagement. These efforts often operate beneath the radar of national governments and can result in foreign individuals or institutions unknowingly advancing CCP interests.
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The International Liaison Department (ILD), which sits directly under the highest organ of the CCP and is affiliated with United Front work, has engaged Irish leaders in Ireland and China. It focuses on party-to-party diplomacy, cultivating ties with foreign political parties and indirectly influencing adjacent sectors such as academia, civil society and policymaking circles.
In Ireland, the head of the ILD has met TDs such as
Fianna Fáil's Cork East TD James O'Connor
, as well as an Irish think tank, and has engaged in subnational diplomacy.
The concept of the United Front has its roots in the Soviet Union. In China, it became a foundational component of CCP ideology when Mao Zedong described the United Front as one of the CCP's three 'magic weapons'. Since then, it has been a steady pillar of the CCP's governance model. The importance of United Front work has been incorporated into
Xi Jinping
's ruling ideology. The department's efforts are primarily steered by a top-level small group headed by Wang Huning, one of China's most senior leaders and the party's chief ideologue. The UFWD has grown significantly under Xi, who views it as a tool for China's 'great rejuvenation'. Established in 1949, it has branches in all levels of government. One of its key bureaux focuses specifically on overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent, with the goal of cultivating loyalty to the PRC.
Domestically, the UFWD targets non-party groups, such as religious groups and ethnic minorities, to bring them into the CCP's sphere of influence. It employs soft power and targeted engagement to bring individuals and organisations into ideological alignment with the party.
Internationally, it builds networks that subtly guide the political and cultural discourse of Chinese diaspora communities with the aim of shaping how China is perceived abroad, inconspicuously influencing local policy environments, and ultimately ensuring that loyalty to the party trumps dissent.
Another organisation that has been active in Ireland and is affiliated with United Front work is the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). It presents itself as a NGO but operates under the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and forms part of the United Front system. It focuses on people-to-people diplomacy, often working through city-to-city exchanges, local governments and academic institutions. Its goal is to promote CCP objectives – like the One China Principle and Belt and Road Initiative – through grassroots relationships.
The CPAFFC uses a bottom-up strategy to cultivate sympathetic foreign individuals and institutions. Its former president Li Xiaolin described its aim as being to 'create a favourable and friendly atmosphere' towards China through 'targeted co-operation'.
In June 2024, Fianna Fáil TDs James O'Connor and Pádraig O'Sullivan and Louth-based Senator Erin McGreehan
met its chairman Yang Wanming in Dublin
. Later that month, the three politicians travelled to China where they met CPAFFC vice-president Yuan Mindao.
In a readout from the Chinese side, O'Connor is stated to have said that the Ireland-China Parliamentary Friendship Group is committed to strengthening communication with the CPAFFC and deepening practical co-operation in high technology. O'Connor again met with the ILD, this time with its vice-president, during his visit to China.
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The work of the ILD and CPAFFC blurs the lines not only between party and state diplomacy but also between state and non-state diplomacy. Their activities in Ireland reflect the CCP's broader strategy: influencing without confrontation through soft power and informal ties. Despite their strategic role, they often operate without national-level protocol or oversight.
Ultimately, we should pull back the cloak of neutrality that party-state affiliated organisations often wear, to see who entities active in Ireland are connected to in China and engage with a clear understanding of what objectives they serve – so that co-operation is informed, transparent and in the public interest.
Alexander Davey is an analyst with the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics), Berlin