Quiet and barely visible: the underestimated work of the United Front

For nearly 100 years, the Communist Party's United Front has sought to rally nonmembers to the party line and keep overseas Chinese under control. Its role as a string-puller in other countries, where it influences perceptions of Chinese politics through close networks of relationships with influential figures, is still completely underestimated. Sometimes foreigners do not even know they are providing valuable services to the United Front.