Identifying the Toxic Traits of CCP influence agencies and operations

 

The ultimate goal of the CCP influence agencies and operations in Canada is to induce, co-opt and coerce Canadians from all walks of life to form an invisible coalition to serve the CCP interests, and to undermine those they stigmatize as enemies. Such efforts shape Canadian thinking and attitude, countering negative perception & promoting the positive image of the PRC. Although it is true that Chinese Canadians are mostly easily-targeted and vulnerable under the CCP’s operations, non-Chinese Canadians are just as likely to be targeted, recruited or captured by the CCP’s united front and other intelligence services. 

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The CCP traits of such operations and activities are considered toxic because they are covert, co-opt, corrupt and coercive (the 4Cs). Here are some illustrations:

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  Covert   – Individuals targeted by the CCP operatives would usually be approached via personal contact or non-standard communication channels at some point. Look for double-hatting & double-plating of those who approach you, that is, if they wear many hats or hold many titles in similar entities (in Canada and/or in the PRC). Do some homework to check the background and history of the group(s) and personnel involved. If you look further, the same group of double-hatters and their organizations would host/sponsor and promote activities about more or less the same issues or along similar themes. Also, after a few encounters, beware of any direct messages sent to you such as “No need to tell XYZ that I have contacted you” or “It’s just because of you that I do this … “ 

 

  Co-opt   – The CCP minions prefer to use and make specious arguments, sometimes even distorted facts/half-truths and disinformation, to promote their narratives. For example, they would say PRC is China, and would associate criticism of the CCP with anti-China or even anti-Chinese sentiments, and labelling such criticism/comments as racist remarks against the Chinese people.  Look for organization names that include “benevolent”, “peace”, “development”, “understanding”, “unity”, “friendship” and the like, which more than often indicate CCP-controlled united front organizations. These groups usually adopt a very good or worthy cause on the surface, such as fighting racism, creating harmony, re-vitalizing Chinatown, promoting equality/inclusiveness, combating “foreign interference” (YES! You read it right, they would manipulate and twist our understanding of “foreign interference” to silence their opponents), etc. As a result, the things that they do or advocate would often stretch far beyond their stated mandate, such as a business association in name would oddly align itself with the PRC’s position on Taiwan. 

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They would also employ soft power and psychological techniques to target the soft spots of different people with highly personalized approach. For the younger generation of Chinese Canadians, they would promote root-seeking summer camps or training sessions to teach heritage language and culture, and foster their affection towards the “ancestral homeland”. Cultural exchange and good will activities such as sports, performance art and other art forms such as painting or calligraphy could also be co-opted to become their enticing tools to target those interested in Chinese culture or those who want to befriend members of the Chinese Canadian community. 

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  Corrupt   – This approach is most commonly used and, alarmingly, most effective. It is corruptive because they tempt and challenge us to compromise so that we bend our boundaries & abandon our bottom lines. These gestures could be freebies or incredible deals that include getting to know China trips, sponsorship of local & community events, giftings of all sorts, etc. On a more sophisticated level, we have seen many cases of money and/or honey traps especially targeting those in high places or influential positions, appealing to the human desire for money, love, attention, fame & status, etc. For politicians who are eager to engage their voters, or business people and academics, they would coax them with profits, partnerships, career and business opportunities, unique and special access to sources/resources related to the PRC (“Just give out my business card when you meet who and who” or “I will introduce you to ABC when you are in China …”) etc. Once gifts and benefits are given & accepted, people take on the obligation to reciprocate either voluntarily or when asked. 

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  Coercive   – This would mostly be employed to Chinese Canadians, tactics of which would include Intimidation, threatening family and relatives still in the PRC, silencing dissenting voices, countering protests, etc. Click here for additional information relevant to our understanding of CCP infiltration tactics. Those who have received gifts and favours under the “corrupt” category would also be coerced, such as business owners know they would get favorable treatment to make big money if they keep their mouth shut about the horrible labour conditions in their factory. But if they speak out, they would be punished by having all business ties cut off, assets confiscated or even be accused of fabricated charges. 

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  We can also look for more toxic traits by asking questions such as:  

• Do the organizers/key operators have known track records of being close to the CCP?
   

• Do the organizers/key operators often parrot the CCP’s narratives, such as those on Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet or South China Sea?
   

• Is the activity sponsored/participated or initiated by CCP friendly politicians?
   

• Is it supported/endorsed by groups/commentators/community leaders & entities who have known track records of being close to/supportive of the PRC, or even openly endorsed by the Chinese Consulate?
   

• Is it widely reported/sponsored enthusiastically by the Chinese language media that are friendly to the CCP?
   

• Is it highly coordinated and orchestrated, as if people are singing from the same tune or following the same play book? 

 

Fact is, we can only look for traits but wouldn’t be able to find hard evidence because there would be no smoking guns. That is not how the CCP influence campaigns work, because they are sophisticated, psychological and manipulative with many rabbit holes. 

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There would be no direct money transfer nor any laws broken because our laws are inadequate to tackle such situations. When our laws were enacted, our society did not anticipate this kind of united front tactics and influence work, so we are not prepared or fully equipped today. 

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Our laws define and criminalize smoking guns, but what about killing by slow poisoning? Until we can update our law and policies, there won’t be any “indictable” offences that are against the law, despite such people and what they do are assaulting Canada and Canadians on a daily basis. We need to be able to identify signs of poisoning and make such signs “indictable evidence”. 

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Our legislation also needs to broaden the definition of disinformation in any election to include questionnaires (no matter addressed to who) and campaign materials that purposely mislead the public or the candidates, or to instill a propaganda line that would preferentially favour/promote certain candidates. Creating such questionnaires and campaign materials should be banned and become indictable actions.