International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
Encyclopedia
The International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (ILD, also known as the International Department) (simplified Chinese: 中国共产党中央对外联络部; pinyin
: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Duìwàiliánluòbù) is an agency under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
in charge of conducting its foreign relations with other political parties.
The department was established in 1951, and was tasked with overseeing relations with foreign communist parties, especially the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
and the socialist bloc
. The ILD's mandate became more important following the Sino-Soviet split, as the party began more aggressively seeking supporters for its position among communist parties operating overseas. Afterwards it maintained ties between the CPC and the Maoist parties around the world, often attempting to foment revolution abroad by funneling money and resources to left-wing and rebel groups. From 1962 through the first half Cultural Revolution
, foreign relations were mainly conducted by Kang Sheng
on behalf of the Politburo Standing Committee
.
In the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping
, the ILD expanded its mission to include cultivating relations with non-communist parties, and shed its overtly revolutionary objectives. In this era, the department sought to forge ties with "any foreign political party that was willing to meet with it." With the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union
, the ILD's expanded mission of engaging with parties across the political spectrum became more important.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Duìwàiliánluòbù) is an agency under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
in charge of conducting its foreign relations with other political parties.
The department was established in 1951, and was tasked with overseeing relations with foreign communist parties, especially the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
and the socialist bloc
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. The ILD's mandate became more important following the Sino-Soviet split, as the party began more aggressively seeking supporters for its position among communist parties operating overseas. Afterwards it maintained ties between the CPC and the Maoist parties around the world, often attempting to foment revolution abroad by funneling money and resources to left-wing and rebel groups. From 1962 through the first half Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, foreign relations were mainly conducted by Kang Sheng
Kang Sheng
Kang Sheng , Communist Party of China official, oversaw the work of the People's Republic of China's security and intelligence apparatus at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. He was a close associate of Mao Zedong and remained at or near the pinnacle of power for decades...
on behalf of the Politburo Standing Committee
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
.
In the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, the ILD expanded its mission to include cultivating relations with non-communist parties, and shed its overtly revolutionary objectives. In this era, the department sought to forge ties with "any foreign political party that was willing to meet with it." With the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, the ILD's expanded mission of engaging with parties across the political spectrum became more important.
List of Heads of the Department
- Wang JiaxiangWang JiaxiangWang Jiaxiang , one of the senior leaders of the Communist Party of China in its early stage and a member of the 28 Bolsheviks, with his life of up and down indicating the cruel reality of politics.-Biography:...
(January 1951–March 1966) - Liu Ningyi (June 1966–March 1968)
- Geng BiaoGeng BiaoGeng Biao was a senior leader in Communist Party of China, and a leader in politics, foreign relation and military in China.Geng was born in Liling, Hunan Province of China, and was a child worker in a Lead-Zinc mine in Shuikoushan, south of Hengyang City in 1922. He joined Communist Youth League...
(January 1971–January 1979) - Ji PengfeiJi PengfeiJi Pengfei was a politician in the People's Republic of China.-Biography:Ji Pengfei was born in Linyi, Yuncheng, Shanxi in 1910...
(January 1979–April 1982) - Qiao ShiQiao ShiQiao Shi is a politician in the People's Republic of China. He was born as Jiang Zhitong , to parents of Dinghai, Zhejiang province ancestry. He is said to be distantly related to Chiang Kai-shek's family and this was the cause for the persecution he suffered during the Cultural Revolution...
(April 1982–June 1983) - Qian LirenQian Liren-Early life:Born in 1924 in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, Qian had family origins in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, and is a documented descendant of the kings of Wuyue...
(July 1983–December 1985) - Zhu Liang (December 1985–March 1993)
- Li Shuzheng (March 1993–August 1997)
- Dai BingguoDai BingguoDai Bingguo is a Chinese politician and professional diplomat. Since 2008, Dai has emerged as one of the foremost and highest-ranking figures of Chinese foreign policy in the Hu Jintao administration....
(August 1997–April 2003) - Wang JiaruiWang JiaruiDr. Wang Jiarui is a senior politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as director of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China...
(April 2003–present)