At a Glance
Beyond State-to-State: Party Diplomacy
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles China's official state-to-state relations, a parallel diplomatic apparatus operates through the Chinese Communist Party itself. The International Liaison Department (ILD) manages the CCP's relationships with political parties around the world—an often overlooked but increasingly important channel for Chinese influence and engagement.
Unlike traditional diplomatic outreach, party-to-party relations allow Beijing to engage directly with ruling parties, opposition movements, and political figures in ways that bypass official government channels. This gives China a unique tool for building political influence and gathering intelligence on domestic politics in countries worldwide.
Cold War Origins
The ILD was established in 1951, just two years after the founding of the People's Republic. Its original mission was to maintain relationships with communist and socialist parties worldwide, particularly in the context of Cold War ideological competition. Wang Jiaxiang, a founding member of the CCP and close ally of Mao Zedong, served as its first minister.
During the Sino-Soviet split, the ILD became a key instrument for China to compete with Moscow for influence among communist parties and revolutionary movements, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. The department cultivated relationships with Maoist factions and supported various insurgent movements.
Reinvention for a New Era
The end of the Cold War and collapse of global communism forced a dramatic reinvention. Rather than focusing solely on ideological allies, the ILD expanded its scope to include political parties across the spectrum—conservative, liberal, social democratic, and nationalist parties alike. The key criterion shifted from ideology to potential usefulness in advancing Chinese interests.
"The ILD no longer asks whether a party shares China's ideology. It asks whether a party might be useful to China's interests—today, tomorrow, or in five years when they might be in power."
Today, the ILD maintains relationships with over 600 political parties in more than 160 countries, including many ruling parties in democracies. These relationships range from formal cooperation agreements to informal exchanges and dialogue mechanisms.
Core Functions
Political Engagement
The ILD organizes high-level visits, conferences, and dialogue mechanisms with foreign political parties. These create channels for communication that complement and sometimes substitute for official diplomatic ties.
Training and Capacity Building
The department runs extensive training programs for foreign political party cadres, particularly from developing countries. Topics range from governance and economic development to party organization—often presenting Chinese models as worthy of study.
Research and Analysis
ILD researchers produce detailed analysis of political developments, party systems, and key political figures in countries worldwide. This intelligence feeds into Chinese foreign policy decision-making at the highest levels.
Promoting CCP Narratives
The ILD works to build understanding—and ideally support—for CCP positions among foreign political elites. This includes explaining Chinese governance, countering criticism, and framing issues like Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Regional Priorities
The ILD's engagement is particularly intensive in several regions:
Southeast Asia
Deep relationships with ruling parties in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, as well as significant engagement with parties across democratic Southeast Asia. The regional bureau is one of the ILD's largest.
Africa
Extensive party-to-party relationships dating back decades, now reinforced through training programs, exchanges, and development cooperation. Particularly strong ties with former liberation movements now in power.
Europe
Growing engagement with European parties across the political spectrum, including populist and nationalist parties that may be more sympathetic to Chinese positions on sovereignty and non-interference.
Latin America
Expanded outreach to leftist and progressive parties, but increasingly also to conservative parties. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are priorities.
Leadership Under Liu Jianchao
The appointment of Liu Jianchao as ILD minister in 2022 signaled a more prominent role for party diplomacy. Liu, a former spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassador, brought professional diplomatic experience to the role. His appointment came as U.S.-China tensions intensified, suggesting a priority on building alternative relationships.
Under Liu, the ILD has stepped up engagement, hosting the World Political Parties Summit (virtually) and expanding training programs. The department has also become more visible in articulating CCP positions to international audiences.
Implications for Understanding Chinese Influence
The ILD represents a distinctive aspect of Chinese foreign policy that has no direct equivalent in Western democracies. While countries like Germany's political foundations (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung) engage in some similar activities, they operate at a far smaller scale and with greater transparency.
For analysts of Chinese foreign policy, the ILD is a critical piece of the puzzle. Party-to-party relationships often provide early signals of where China is investing political capital, and which countries and political movements Beijing sees as strategically important.