Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

From a Taiwanese perspective, the Chinese word tong zhan (統戰) could be interpreted as the war — or effort — to achieve unification. However, this interpretation would have more to do with the unique preoccupations of a threatened nation than with historical accuracy.

The accepted English translation is “united front,” which was born of the collective desire of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to defeat warlords in China in the 1920s. In its current iteration, it is a network of organizations affiliated with the CCP, engaging in political warfare to promote Beijing’s interests and global narrative, and suppress discussions of ideas it deems unfavorable. It is an organized, comprehensive effort to achieve the CCP’s desired ends.

On March 5, the White House announced that Columbia University professor Tim Wu (吳修銘), a second-generation Taiwanese American, was to become US President Joe Biden’s special assistant for technology and competition policy, and would be working for the White House’s National Economic Council.

The appointment has attracted a lot of attention. Wu specializes in antitrust, intellectual property and telecommunications law.