Xi Jinping, the current president of the People’s Republic of China, and Mao Zedong, its founder, both describe the country’s “magic weapon” as such.
In the West, the United Front Work Department is causing just as much concern as Beijing’s expanding military hardware.
The most recent Chinese national living abroad to be investigated and punished for his ties to the UFWD is Yang Tengbo, a well-known businessman who has been connected to Prince Andrew.
It is by no means a secret that the department exists. It is a long-standing and extensively documented branch of the Chinese Communist Party that has previously been embroiled in controversy. In numerous espionage investigations, investigators from the US to Australia have referenced the UFWD, frequently charging Beijing with exploiting it for foreign intervention.
