– United Front Tactics
On July 23, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a historic speech at the Nixon Library, titled ‘Communist China and the Free World’s Future’. He declared that protecting freedom from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the most important mission of this era. It is encouraging that the Secretary recognizes the seriousness of the problem and brings this issue to the public. However, as a friend, we still have concerns about our ally – the United States. Revolutionary Marxists, including communist China, have been using United Front Tactics (UFT) which is a sly strategy to ally with others and to use them for their own purposes. It is a strategy that contributed to the US’s grave losses in the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Yet most Americans do not seem to be aware of its danger. Though we should mourn for the dead, we should also remember that the UFT is taking advantage of the George Floyd case to instigate so many Americans. Moreover, the Black Lives Matters (BLM) and Antifa movements are rooted in Marxism. The mainstream media is also being used as a tool to agitate people, while the Democrats appear to be politically using this situation.
Many believed that the collapse of the Soviet Union ended the war of ideology. It did not. Marx supposed that the final development of human society is communism, while Francis Fukuyama declared the victory of liberal democracy and the end of history as such. However, the ghost of Marx survived through hatred, anger, and fatal complacency of democracy. The ghost has already penetrated the politics of many countries, including the US, European countries, and the Republic of Korea (ROK), in various forms.
Can socialism be allowed in a democracy? It is a question that cannot and should not be overlooked anymore. The concept of socialism has been changing over time, is ambiguous and has many variations. This shows the attempt to preserve the theory that failed in reality, and to justify the cause as much as possible. Some claim that democratic socialism, which seeks revolution through election, and social democracy, which renounces revolution and attempts to internalize socialistic values in a democracy, can be tolerated and even accepted in a democratic society. For instance, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who is gaining popularity in the US, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Some people praise European social democracy, i.e. the welfare state, and believe European socialism is the right answer. Can we accept this kind of socialism? Answering this question requires a more detailed consideration.
Even if one supports democratic socialism or social democracy, there is an important issue to bear in mind. Democracy and elections are the easiest means of camouflage for socialist revolutionaries. Communists have long and effectively utilised diversity and tolerance in the name of democracy to ally with others in disguise. They present a beautiful goal to unite people and form a Unified Front (UF) to fight together against a common enemy. Through this UF, they invite friends and grow in numbers and gain power. However, what is more important is to take control of the UF. Once they eliminate the common enemy, their friends in the UF are the next prey. In the colonial era, national liberation and reunification were the most attractive subjects of the UFT. Democracy itself is a perfect method of UF, including democratic socialism and social democracy. Human rights, anti-war, environmental issues are all good venues for the UF. Since the early 2000s, UFT using cyberspace has also been conducted actively. conducted.
After Xi Jinping came to power, activities of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the CCP (UFWD) were greatly strengthened in China. In 2017, Xi mentioned that the “United Front Work is an important magic weapon for the victory of the Party’s cause.” The UFWD has infiltrated the international community in various ways, by bribing foreign bureaucrats and politicians, intervening in foreign elections, conducting industrial espionage, manipulating public opinion and so on, in order to achieve CCP goals. In South Korea, the activities of the ‘50 Cent Party’ have recently become known to the public. They are millions of internet commentators hired by the CCP to manipulate public opinion in cyberspace. Chinese spy Wang Li-chang, who fled to Australia in November 2019, revealed that the Communist Party is operating large scale commenting troops in China and abroad. In South Korea, a wide range of UF work is being done through ethnic Korean Chinese and Chinese students. In Australia and New Zealand, cases of politicians supported by the CCP are now being revealed. In light of these risks, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute published a report analyzing CCP’s UFT in June 2020.
In contrast, since President Moon Jae-in took office in South Korea, pro-China policies have been radically implemented, as he promised to Xi Jinping to follow the Chinese dream. Despite reports of UFWD’s activities from abroad, one barely hears any voice of warning in the politics in South Korea. Although the activities of the 50 Cent Party have been spotted in South Korea, no politician has publicized this or issued a protest against China. The media is also inactive in covering this topic. This is the reality of South Korea. Considering the high dependency on trade with China, it is worrisome to imagine how much influence the UFWD has had in the ROK.
As Xi commented, the UFT has been a great tool to achieve goals for the communists. In the case of Vietnam, the South had overwhelming military capacity against the North. Yet, it collapsed from the inside as a result of the nationalistic UFT of the Northern Vietnam, i.e., the National Liberation Front. The Soviet Union and North Korea applied the same UFT around the time of the Korean War. This is the reason why the US incurred significant losses when it joined both wars to fight for freedom.
Now is the time to ask our American friends a serious question, particularly those among the Democrats, and those who support the BLM movement. Are you really safe from United Front Tactics?
