Taoism Associations Another CCP United Front Tool

In the pretext of International religious exchange, Beijing intends to extend its influence through numerous Taoists associations around the world

A Taoist delegate (C) takes a nap during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on March 10, 2009. Liu Jin/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Beijing initiated the World Federation of Taoism (WFT) in the name of international religious exchange, identifying itself as a proxy of China’s only indigenous religion. The move would be another united front tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to export communist ideology to the rest of the world, following the Confucius Institute.