Difference between revisions of "The Cheng Institute"
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== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute is a nominally independent think tank founded in Shanghai, | + | The Cheng Institute is a nominally independent think tank founded in Shanghai, Olvana in 2015. Its name derives from an old word for "sincerity" and its stated aim is to spread awareness and understanding of Olvanan culture and language, as well as providing a voice for the Olvanan world view in the global discourse. In reality, the Cheng Institute is known to have close ties with the Olvanan Communist Party?s (OCP) propaganda and information departments, and is assessed as being a soft power vehicle for the Olvanan state. Despite this, the Cheng Institute employs/engages a wide range of eminent academics from many countries and provides high quality academic and scientific material. Like many Olvanan organisations of this kind, its activities are hybrid in nature, with pro-OCP actions and agenda nested within and obscured by innocuous activities. |
| − | The majority of fellows and contributors to the organisation are | + | The majority of fellows and contributors to the organisation are of Olvanan, Donovian or Torbian descent, but in a recent pivot in focus to the West has seen increasing numbers of Western contributors, with a corresponding rise in Western consumers of Cheng Institute material. Over the past five years, so for most of the organisation?s life, this focus on the West has been especially prevalent in English speaking countries, with Cheng Institute centres having been set up in a number of major universities across the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. |
| − | Typically, the Cheng Institute adopts a multi-layered approach to establishing its presence. It will generally partner | + | Typically, the Cheng Institute adopts a multi-layered approach to establishing its presence. It will generally partner with Olvanan diaspora organisations, as well as with left-leaning groups, especially student groups, to set up language learning centres and social clubs. These will focus heavily on Olvanan traditional culture and food, using these as vehicles for the transmission of the OCP approved interpretations of Olvanan history and current events. External to this, the Cheng Institute will set up an incorporated association within a target country, spending liberally to attract academics, prominent industry organisations and figures, and ex or serving government officials. This organisation will host regular symposia and seminars, provide specialised research either pro-bono or for a fee, as well as providing expert speakers for various events. All of these experts and prominent individuals are encouraged to create speech and materials friendly, or at the very least not hostile to, key Olvanan narratives. |
| − | This multi-layered approach has resulted in many countries becoming concerned by the extent to which a de facto arm of the OCP have penetrated into academia, media, and civil society, especially as the Cheng institute routinely promotes OCP ideology and questions and disputes strategic and security goals of their host countries, especially when they are seen as deleterious | + | This multi-layered approach has resulted in many countries becoming concerned by the extent to which a de facto arm of the OCP have penetrated into academia, media, and civil society, especially as the Cheng institute routinely promotes OCP ideology and questions and disputes strategic and security goals of their host countries, especially when they are seen as deleterious to Olvanan interests. |
| − | + | The Cheng Institute has built strong relationships with foreign governments, issue motivated groups (IMG) such as the Socialist Student Association, and Olvanan community organisations such as the Olvanan Friendship Society. | |
== Organization == | == Organization == | ||
[[File:ChengInst Org.png|thumb|The Cheng Institute Functional Organization]] | [[File:ChengInst Org.png|thumb|The Cheng Institute Functional Organization]] | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute is a not for profit think tank incorporated in Shanghai 2015. It maintains a small staff spread across its core areas of operation, but relies heavily on a fellowship membership structure, with financial and non-financial expert members making up most of their numbers. The Cheng Institute also has a large number of volunteers, mostly graduate students, who organise events and perform aspects of day to day business. This structure can make it quite difficult to determine the Institute?s actual size at any given moment. The current director, | + | The Cheng Institute is a not for profit think tank incorporated in Shanghai 2015. It maintains a small staff spread across its core areas of operation, but relies heavily on a fellowship membership structure, with financial and non-financial expert members making up most of their numbers. The Cheng Institute also has a large number of volunteers, mostly graduate students, who organise events and perform aspects of day to day business. This structure can make it quite difficult to determine the Institute?s actual size at any given moment. The current director, Xia Huian, also maintains an advisory role within the OCP. All overseas institute branches report directly to the Shanghai headquarters, with each local chapter appointing a Head of Operations and sub-editor. |
=== Key Leadership === | === Key Leadership === | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| − | ! | + | !NAME |
| − | ! | + | !POSITION |
| − | !SHORT | + | !SHORT BIO |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | | + | |Xia Huian |
| − | | | + | |Director |
| − | | | + | |Xia Huian is a Shanghai native who holds an advisory position within the OCP. |
|} | |} | ||
=== Membership and Demographics === | === Membership and Demographics === | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute is known to be a deniable arm of the OCP?s hybrid information apparatus. Nominally an internationally disaggregated collection of not-for-profit associations, its membership is highly diverse, with members and contributors from | + | The Cheng Institute is known to be a deniable arm of the OCP?s hybrid information apparatus. Nominally an internationally disaggregated collection of not-for-profit associations, its membership is highly diverse, with members and contributors from South Torbia, Donovia, Belesia, Australia, the US, and the UK, among others. Members and volunteers are almost exclusively academics and students, with a sprinkling of senior government and industry figures. Cheng Institute hiring heavily favours supporters of the OCP, skirting relevant local anti-discrimination laws through ?community of interest? exemptions. |
=== Recruitment === | === Recruitment === | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute undertakes a range of recruiting activities, including overt commercial hiring. The Institute uses financial inducements, as well as its active and highly regarded academic publishing imprint, to lure prominent academic, industry, and government figures as fellows and experts. | + | The Cheng Institute undertakes a range of recruiting activities, including overt commercial hiring. The Institute uses financial inducements, as well as its active and highly regarded academic publishing imprint, to lure prominent academic, industry, and government figures as fellows and experts. |
| − | More recently, the Institute has directed its attention towards the Western nations and has accumulated a significant following within many major Western universities, partly through the provision of grants and funds, as well as through the establishment of well organised and highly active student and faculty organisations. The Cheng Institute also uses its significant online presence and the high circulation of its materials as a means of "soft recruiting" of sympathisers and IMGs. | + | More recently, the Institute has directed its attention towards the Western nations and has accumulated a significant following within many major Western universities, partly through the provision of grants and funds, as well as through the establishment of well organised and highly active student and faculty organisations. The Cheng Institute also uses its significant online presence and the high circulation of its materials as a means of "soft recruiting" of sympathisers and IMGs. |
== Alliances == | == Alliances == | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| − | ! | + | !GROUP |
| − | ! | + | !RELATIONSHIP |
| − | ! | + | !NOTES |
|- | |- | ||
| − | |[[Olvanan Friendship Society]] | + | |[[Olvanan Friendship Society]] |
| − | | | + | |Ally |
| − | |The Cheng Institute habitually establishes links with diaspora cultural and community organisations, and the Olvanan Friendship Society is no exception to this rule. | + | |The Cheng Institute habitually establishes links with diaspora cultural and community organisations, and the Olvanan Friendship Society is no exception to this rule. |
|- | |- | ||
|[[Socialist Student League (SSL)]] | |[[Socialist Student League (SSL)]] | ||
| − | | | + | |Ally |
| − | |The Socialist Student League is a natural ally of the Cheng Institute, and the relationship has been deliberately fostered by the Institute in order to increase its footprint across university campuses. | + | |The Socialist Student League is a natural ally of the Cheng Institute, and the relationship has been deliberately fostered by the Institute in order to increase its footprint across university campuses. |
|} | |} | ||
== Areas of Operation == | == Areas of Operation == | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute?s central body is headquartered in Shanghai, Olvana, but the organisation has a strong global online presence as well as multiple satellite organisations in many countries, especially those with sizeable Olvanan diaspora communities. This means that Cheng Institute material is widely circulated across the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amongst Torbian communities. Within Australia, NZ and the USA, local organisations with wide influence amongst the Olvanan diaspora support and facilitate the Cheng Institute?s political and economic agenda. | + | The Cheng Institute?s central body is headquartered in Shanghai, Olvana, but the organisation has a strong global online presence as well as multiple satellite organisations in many countries, especially those with sizeable Olvanan diaspora communities. This means that Cheng Institute material is widely circulated across the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amongst Torbian communities. Within Australia, NZ and the USA, local organisations with wide influence amongst the Olvanan diaspora support and facilitate the Cheng Institute?s political and economic agenda. |
== Operational Profile == | == Operational Profile == | ||
=== Kinetic === | === Kinetic === | ||
| − | The Cheng Institute does not conduct any kinetic activities. | + | The Cheng Institute does not conduct any kinetic activities. |
=== Non-Kinetic === | === Non-Kinetic === | ||
| − | The primary unstated mission of the Cheng Institute is to spread OCP ideology and promote OCP messaging and positions to overseas audiences. Analysts have characterised the Cheng Institute as a deniable soft power instrument of the OCP, dedicated to | + | The primary unstated mission of the Cheng Institute is to spread OCP ideology and promote OCP messaging and positions to overseas audiences. Analysts have characterised the Cheng Institute as a deniable soft power instrument of the OCP, dedicated to expanding Olvana?s economic, cultural, and diplomatic reach under cover of the promotion of Olvanan language and culture, while some have suggested a possible role in intelligence collection. Both of these characterizations are borne out by the Institute?s operational profile. |
| − | The Cheng Institute?s principal non-kinetic activities include: | + | The Cheng Institute?s principal non-kinetic activities include: |
| − | * Political lobbying and | + | * Political lobbying and coercion |
| − | * Cyber intrusion | + | * Cyber intrusion facilitation |
| − | * Intelligence | + | * Intelligence gathering |
| − | * Research IP | + | * Research IP theft |
| − | * | + | * Disinformation |
| − | * Influence | + | * Influence Operations |
| − | * Periphery soft power (through research funding grants and other means) | + | * Periphery soft power (through research funding grants and other means) |
| + | [[Category:DATE]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Pacific]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Non-State Threat Actors]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:19, 18 March 2022
Contents
Overview
The Cheng Institute is a nominally independent think tank founded in Shanghai, Olvana in 2015. Its name derives from an old word for "sincerity" and its stated aim is to spread awareness and understanding of Olvanan culture and language, as well as providing a voice for the Olvanan world view in the global discourse. In reality, the Cheng Institute is known to have close ties with the Olvanan Communist Party?s (OCP) propaganda and information departments, and is assessed as being a soft power vehicle for the Olvanan state. Despite this, the Cheng Institute employs/engages a wide range of eminent academics from many countries and provides high quality academic and scientific material. Like many Olvanan organisations of this kind, its activities are hybrid in nature, with pro-OCP actions and agenda nested within and obscured by innocuous activities.
The majority of fellows and contributors to the organisation are of Olvanan, Donovian or Torbian descent, but in a recent pivot in focus to the West has seen increasing numbers of Western contributors, with a corresponding rise in Western consumers of Cheng Institute material. Over the past five years, so for most of the organisation?s life, this focus on the West has been especially prevalent in English speaking countries, with Cheng Institute centres having been set up in a number of major universities across the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Typically, the Cheng Institute adopts a multi-layered approach to establishing its presence. It will generally partner with Olvanan diaspora organisations, as well as with left-leaning groups, especially student groups, to set up language learning centres and social clubs. These will focus heavily on Olvanan traditional culture and food, using these as vehicles for the transmission of the OCP approved interpretations of Olvanan history and current events. External to this, the Cheng Institute will set up an incorporated association within a target country, spending liberally to attract academics, prominent industry organisations and figures, and ex or serving government officials. This organisation will host regular symposia and seminars, provide specialised research either pro-bono or for a fee, as well as providing expert speakers for various events. All of these experts and prominent individuals are encouraged to create speech and materials friendly, or at the very least not hostile to, key Olvanan narratives.
This multi-layered approach has resulted in many countries becoming concerned by the extent to which a de facto arm of the OCP have penetrated into academia, media, and civil society, especially as the Cheng institute routinely promotes OCP ideology and questions and disputes strategic and security goals of their host countries, especially when they are seen as deleterious to Olvanan interests.
The Cheng Institute has built strong relationships with foreign governments, issue motivated groups (IMG) such as the Socialist Student Association, and Olvanan community organisations such as the Olvanan Friendship Society.
Organization
The Cheng Institute is a not for profit think tank incorporated in Shanghai 2015. It maintains a small staff spread across its core areas of operation, but relies heavily on a fellowship membership structure, with financial and non-financial expert members making up most of their numbers. The Cheng Institute also has a large number of volunteers, mostly graduate students, who organise events and perform aspects of day to day business. This structure can make it quite difficult to determine the Institute?s actual size at any given moment. The current director, Xia Huian, also maintains an advisory role within the OCP. All overseas institute branches report directly to the Shanghai headquarters, with each local chapter appointing a Head of Operations and sub-editor.
Key Leadership
| NAME | POSITION | SHORT BIO |
|---|---|---|
| Xia Huian | Director | Xia Huian is a Shanghai native who holds an advisory position within the OCP. |
Membership and Demographics
The Cheng Institute is known to be a deniable arm of the OCP?s hybrid information apparatus. Nominally an internationally disaggregated collection of not-for-profit associations, its membership is highly diverse, with members and contributors from South Torbia, Donovia, Belesia, Australia, the US, and the UK, among others. Members and volunteers are almost exclusively academics and students, with a sprinkling of senior government and industry figures. Cheng Institute hiring heavily favours supporters of the OCP, skirting relevant local anti-discrimination laws through ?community of interest? exemptions.
Recruitment
The Cheng Institute undertakes a range of recruiting activities, including overt commercial hiring. The Institute uses financial inducements, as well as its active and highly regarded academic publishing imprint, to lure prominent academic, industry, and government figures as fellows and experts.
More recently, the Institute has directed its attention towards the Western nations and has accumulated a significant following within many major Western universities, partly through the provision of grants and funds, as well as through the establishment of well organised and highly active student and faculty organisations. The Cheng Institute also uses its significant online presence and the high circulation of its materials as a means of "soft recruiting" of sympathisers and IMGs.
Alliances
| GROUP | RELATIONSHIP | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Olvanan Friendship Society | Ally | The Cheng Institute habitually establishes links with diaspora cultural and community organisations, and the Olvanan Friendship Society is no exception to this rule. |
| Socialist Student League (SSL) | Ally | The Socialist Student League is a natural ally of the Cheng Institute, and the relationship has been deliberately fostered by the Institute in order to increase its footprint across university campuses. |
Areas of Operation
The Cheng Institute?s central body is headquartered in Shanghai, Olvana, but the organisation has a strong global online presence as well as multiple satellite organisations in many countries, especially those with sizeable Olvanan diaspora communities. This means that Cheng Institute material is widely circulated across the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amongst Torbian communities. Within Australia, NZ and the USA, local organisations with wide influence amongst the Olvanan diaspora support and facilitate the Cheng Institute?s political and economic agenda.
Operational Profile
Kinetic
The Cheng Institute does not conduct any kinetic activities.
Non-Kinetic
The primary unstated mission of the Cheng Institute is to spread OCP ideology and promote OCP messaging and positions to overseas audiences. Analysts have characterised the Cheng Institute as a deniable soft power instrument of the OCP, dedicated to expanding Olvana?s economic, cultural, and diplomatic reach under cover of the promotion of Olvanan language and culture, while some have suggested a possible role in intelligence collection. Both of these characterizations are borne out by the Institute?s operational profile.
The Cheng Institute?s principal non-kinetic activities include:
- Political lobbying and coercion
- Cyber intrusion facilitation
- Intelligence gathering
- Research IP theft
- Disinformation
- Influence Operations
- Periphery soft power (through research funding grants and other means)