How the CCP Disguises Political Influence as Economic Cooperation: CECC Meets EU Chamber Secretary-General Adam Dunnett

On February 19, 2025, Yang Song 杨淞, Deputy Director of the China Economic Liaison Center (中国经济联络中心), met with Adam Dunnett 唐亚东, Secretary-General of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

The Name Game: Why CECC Is Misleading

• The English website calls the organization the China Economic Cooperation Center, which sounds neutral, international, and business-oriented.

• The Chinese name, 中国经济联络中心, literally translates to China Economic Liaison Center, which signals political mediation and CCP oversight.

• This discrepancy is deliberate: the English label masks the fact that the organization is a direct political arm of the CCP’s International Department, using the veneer of trade facilitation to engage foreign business audiences.

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What Was Said

During the meeting:

• Yang Song 杨淞 stressed that China–EU relations have strategic significance and global impact, highlighting the mutual benefits of economic cooperation. He indicated that the China Economic Liaison Center (CECC/中国经济联络中心) aims to strengthen collaboration with the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, using the 50th anniversary of China–EU diplomatic relations as an opportunity to promote “practical cooperation.”

• Adam Dunnett 唐亚东 emphasized that European business remains optimistic about the Chinese market. He noted that 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and expressed his intention to work with CECC to deepen exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and European business communities.

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Why This Matters

• CECC is not an independent trade facilitation body; it is a politically controlled organization under the CCP’s International Department. Its interactions with foreign business chambers are part of Beijing’s influence network, guiding narratives and engagement strategies favorable to the CCP.

• Figures like Adam Dunnett 唐亚东, with longstanding ties to both Chinese institutions and European business networks, serve as key nodes in CCP-mediated influence channels.

• The naming discrepancy — “cooperation” vs. “liaison” — is a strategic tool to mislead foreign audiences, presenting CCP political engagement as neutral business collaboration.

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This meeting exemplifies how the CCP uses ostensibly economic bodies to carry out political influence work abroad, targeting business elites and professional networks in Europe while maintaining plausible deniability through English-language branding.#Democracy #Christ #Peace #Freedom #Liberty #Humanrights #人权 #法治 #宪政 #独立审计 #司法独立 #联邦制 #独立自治