In a recent interview with Vision Times, Li Chuanliang, the former vice mayor of Jixi City in China’s Heilongjiang Province, sounded the alarm on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) intensifying campaign of transnational repression. Now living in exile in the United States, Li described how the CCP has elevated its efforts to silence dissent abroad to the level of a national strategy, employing a sophisticated mix of media manipulation, legal warfare, and intimidation tactics.
Transnational repression as state strategy
Li emphasized that under Xi Jinping’s leadership, the CCP has transformed transnational repression into a core component of its global control strategy. “This is not an isolated phenomenon,” Li said. “It stems from the CCP’s desire to dominate the world.” He pointed to China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and the expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative as evidence of Beijing’s ambitions to shape global affairs.
According to Li, the CCP’s domestic experience in suppressing dissent—honed during the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to movements like the “White Paper Revolution”—has been exported abroad. The targets are not limited to political dissidents, but also include religious groups such as Christians and Falun Gong practitioners, as well as ordinary citizens who challenge the regime’s authority.
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Media and legal warfare at the forefront
Li highlighted the central role of media warfare in the CCP’s transnational repression. He revealed that the CCP’s Propaganda Department holds significant power, even at the highest levels of government, because media control is seen as essential to shaping public opinion. “From its founding, the CCP has excelled at using media to brainwash and deceive,” Li said, noting that this strategy now extends to the international stage.
He cited recent examples of Western media outlets, such as The New York Times, publishing a series of articles critical of Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts, which he believes are influenced by CCP disinformation campaigns. Li also described how the CCP allocates special funds to recruit social media influencers and “internet trolls” to spread propaganda and attack critics, sometimes paying tens of thousands of dollars for a single favorable post.
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Beyond media manipulation, Li detailed how the CCP uses legal systems and intimidation to target dissidents overseas. He recounted his own experience: after publicly criticizing the CCP in August 2020, he was swiftly placed under investigation, his family members were detained, and his assets were seized. “They use every means—personal, economic, and legal—to make life impossible for dissidents abroad,” Li said.
According to an anonymous Chinese political commentator, Marxism believes that “the law is the embodiment of the will of the ruling class and a violent tool of class rule.” The CCP views law and the legal system exactly this way. When they extend their influence and control into other countries, they also use the same guidance, and try to implement legal charges against their target. They also execute a typical Soviet type tactic called: “bring me the man and I will show you his crime”.
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International response and recommendations
Li welcomed recent moves by Western governments to counter Beijing’s transnational repression. The U.S. Congress has introduced legislation to support religious freedom for overseas Chinese communities, while Canada has passed a foreign agents law and the G7 has issued a joint statement condemning such activities. However, Li urged for more robust and coordinated action, including the creation of dedicated platforms to document and investigate cases of transnational repression in detail.
He also called for greater research into the CCP’s weaponization of media and the development of effective countermeasures, leveraging the West’s technological advantages.
A crisis of values
As a Christian, Li described the CCP as “evil” and fundamentally opposed to universal values such as truth, compassion, and tolerance. He praised the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” for sparking a spiritual awakening among Chinese people, noting that over 450 million have renounced their ties to the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Li remains confident that the CCP’s days are numbered. “It goes against the will of the people and the tide of history,” he said. “The more extreme it becomes, the sooner it will collapse.”
By Hao Meng
