A coordinated effort by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for over a decade has resulted in its members infiltrating into important advisory positions in top companies, banks, media groups, universities, and government agencies in many countries. The investigative report published by The Australian says leaked membership records revealed information regarding almost two million CCP members which consequently led to the discovery that 10 consulates in Shanghai have Communist Party workers.
China reportedly used a recruitment agency to infiltrate British, Australian, and U.S. consulates in Shanghai. The members are serving as senior political and government affairs specialists, economic advisers, clerks, and executive assistants, according to the paper. The database which was sent to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in mid-September shows that CCP members were employed by British, German, Swiss, Indian, New Zealand, Italian, and South African missions in the Shanghai through the Shanghai Foreign Agency Service Department.
In addition, the leak also exposed CCP members at companies like airline giant Boeing, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank and pharmaceutical major Pfizer. Hundreds of senior employees at British banks HSBC and Standard Chartered have been members of the Chinese Communist Party, according to documents seen by The Telegraph.
The lists show that at least 335 HSBC employees were CCP members. Current members include the senior vice-president of HSBC China, the president of HSBC’s Shenzhen office and the deputy manager of Hong Kong corporate and consumer products are listed as members. Standard Chartered has employed at least 290 CCP members. Among active members who have pledged an oath of loyalty to the country’s ruling party are the deputy president of the bank’s Chinese subsidiary, head of investment management and head of business banking.
As per another media report on the leak, 123 party loyalists are working in two of the pharmaceutical companies working on developing Corona vaccine- Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
A spokesperson for IPAC which was in receipt of the leaked database said the findings were disturbing. “A representative of IPAC received this list from a non-governmental source, but was not in a position to verify it, so handed it to experts. Journalists have since investigated and their findings are disturbing indeed. IPAC will push for governments and companies to respond setting out how they intend to safeguard their values in the face of infiltration”, says the statement from the IPAC spokesperson.
Reporting on the expose, Australia’s Sky News anchor said “Communist party branches have been set up inside western companies, allowing the infiltration of those companies by CCP members – who, if called on, are answerable directly to the communist party, to the Chairman, the president himself.” Around 79,000 CCP branches have been set up inside western companies where members, if called on, are answerable directly to the Communist Party and President Xi himself, says the Sky News report.
Writing in The Mail on Sunday today, former Tory Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said: “This investigation proves that members of the Chinese Communist Party are now spread around the globe, with members working for some of the world’s most important multinational corporations, academic institutions and our own diplomatic services.”
“The Government must now move to expel and remove any members of the Communist Party from our Consuls throughout China. They can either serve the UK or the Chinese Communist Party. They cannot do both,” he added.
In India, National Vice President of ruling BJP Baijayant Jay Panda wrote on Twitter about the leak saying “Big story breaking in Australia & UK on #Chinaleaks with names & details of 2 MILLION members of the Chinese Communist Party who have infiltrated important corporations, universities, media & govt agencies around the world. These are people who have sworn allegiance to #CCP”
However, neither the companies named or the government consulates have issed a official clarification or a statement on the findings.
The disclosures raise major questions about the independence of major institutions that operate in China. The revelations strengthen the accusation of the CCP trying to penetrate into global organisations for surveillance and intelligence gathering. The leak confirms the suspicion that Chinese diplomacy, commonly known as the ‘Wolf warrior diplomacy’ involves tactics of planting CCP members to foreign companies, NGOs and governmental organisations.
China is accused of using political proxies in creating troubles in foreign nations. China has been accused of interfering in the internal affairs of Nepal, Australia and India using internal differences.
Aayush Pal 
Dr. Niranjan B Poojar 
Bhagyashree Gupta