China sending more than 70,000 “New Year care packages” to overseas Chinese is an attempt to promote “united front” tactics, but would have little impact on overseas communities, Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said today.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is constantly employing new tactics to “win over” overseas Chinese, particularly during the Lunar New Year, Hsu said.
Last year, “Spring Festival” was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Hsu reported to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
However, debate remains about whether to translate the holiday as “Spring Festival” as on the UNESCO Web site, or as “Chinese New Year” or “Lunar New Year.”
China is using the debate over terminology as a battleground for “united front” tactics, the report said.
China is also using Spring Festival events as propaganda, organizing extravagant celebrations and inviting local government officials and industry leaders to showcase its national and cultural influence, it said.
In recent years, China’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council has coordinated with overseas embassies and consulates to send more than 70,000 “care packages” containing traditional Lunar New Year items to overseas Chinese communities, with the number of packages slowly increasing year-on-year, it said.
The incentive is heavily promoted on Chinese-language media to showcase China’s care for overseas citizens and promote a sense of connection to China, it said.
During the Lunar New Year, Chinese diplomats often visit traditional overseas associations to offer gifts and monetary donations — tokens of goodwill that are difficult to refuse and thereby reinforce ties with China, the council said.
Lunar New Year events hosted by Taiwan instead focus on cultural heritage and promoting traditional values, such as encouraging families to spend time together, exchange New Year’s greetings, light lanterns and hang spring couplets, it said.
The Taiwanese approach also explains the cultural significance of the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival to strengthen overseas Taiwanese's connection to Taiwan, it said.
On the other hand, the CCP’s monetary gifts and tokens are of little significance, as most overseas Chinese are financially well-off and awareness of CCP infiltration tactics is rising, she said.
Therefore, only a small proportion of overseas Chinese in Belt and Road Initiative countries would be susceptible to CCP influence, she said, but added that the council would monitor the situation closely.
As the council’s budget has faced cuts and freezes this year, some projects may be affected, she said.
The CCP may therefore have more opportunities to buy support from overseas Chinese, although the impact of the “care packages” in particular is not a point of concern, she added.
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