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1.9 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
7
Organizations
6
Locations
4
Events
2
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Government report / house oversight committee record
File Size:
1.9 MB
Summary
This document, page 174 of a House Oversight Committee report (Appendix 2), details the history and methodology of Chinese influence operations in Singapore. It contrasts modern tactics (2016-17) involving social media and 'United Front' work with historical examples, specifically the 1971 revelation that a Hong Kong-based communist intelligence service funded the 'Eastern Sun' newspaper to shape public opinion. It also mentions diplomatic pressure exerted on Singapore in 2004 regarding Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to Taiwan.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Hsien Loong | Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (in 2004) |
Paid an unofficial visit to Taiwan in 2004 which caused China to deploy intense pressure on Singapore.
|
| Vladimir Lenin | Historical Figure |
Referenced regarding the cultivation of 'useful idiots' and the nature of a Leninist party.
|
| Unnamed Businessman | Ethnic Chinese Businessman |
Received loans from communist intelligence to start the Eastern Sun newspaper in the 1960s.
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| Three unnamed individuals | Detainees |
Arrested under the Internal Security Act in Singapore on May 15, 1971.
|
Organizations (7)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Government |
Target of pressure and influence operations.
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| ASEAN |
Association of Southeast Asian Nations; Singapore's experience holds lessons for member states.
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| United Front |
Chinese political strategy/organization involving lobbying and influence operations.
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Platform used to propagate narratives to Chinese-speaking populations.
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| Chinese intelligence organizations |
Entities cultivating agents of influence.
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| Eastern Sun |
English-language daily newspaper funded by communist intelligence to influence public opinion.
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| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document (indicated by footer).
|
Timeline (4 events)
2004
Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid an unofficial visit to Taiwan, resulting in Chinese pressure.
Taiwan/Singapore
2016-2017
Period of Chinese pressure on Singapore government to change its position.
Singapore
May 15, 1971
Singapore government announced the arrest of three individuals under the Internal Security Act.
Singapore
Locations (6)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Primary location of influence operations discussed.
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|
Source of influence operations.
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Mentioned in the context of narratives regarding 'inevitable decline'.
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Base for the communist intelligence service that funded the Eastern Sun.
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Location of Lee Hsien Loong's unofficial visit in 2004.
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Region where China sought to export communist revolution in the 50s/60s.
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Relationships (2)
In 2004, China deployed intense pressure on Singapore when then deputy prime minister Lee Hsien Loong paid an unofficial visit to Taiwan.
Ethnic Chinese Businessman
→
Financial Proxy
→
Communist Intelligence Service (Hong Kong)
Received 7 million HKD in loans to start a newspaper favorable to PRC interests.
Key Quotes (5)
"Singapore’s experience in 2016–17 holds lessons for other ASEAN member states."Source
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Quote #1
"China’s self-declared role as the representative of all Chinese people around the world and its stated position that all Chinese are obliged to help China further complicate its position in Singapore, which is 76 percent Chinese."Source
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Quote #2
"cultivate what Lenin called 'useful idiots.'"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020633.jpg
Quote #3
"ridiculously low interest rate of 0.1% per annum"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020633.jpg
Quote #4
"officials of a communist intelligence service based in Hong Kong"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020633.jpg
Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,772 characters)
174
was activated to pressure the government to change position. Singapore’s experience in 2016–17 holds lessons for other ASEAN member states.
On the surface, China claims that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other states. At the same time, it is led by a Leninist party that embraces the ideas of the United Front as a key tactic. Translated into foreign policy, by its nature United Front work involves lobbying, coercion, co-optation and other influence operations—some of which are legitimate, others of which are not. China’s self-declared role as the representative of all Chinese people around the world and its stated position that all Chinese are obliged to help China further complicate its position in Singapore, which is 76 percent Chinese.
This multifaceted and contradictory approach is deployed within an overarching narrative of China’s inevitable and unstoppable rise and America’s equally inevitable and absolute decline. This narrative and others are propagated by various means: WeChat with Chinese-speaking populations, social and mainstream media, whispering campaigns, business, clan, and cultural associations, and conventional agents of influence reporting to Chinese intelligence organizations, who cultivate what Lenin called “useful idiots.”
A History of Influence
Chinese influence operations in Singapore are not a recent phenomenon. China’s United Front activities in the late 1950s and 1960s sought to export China’s communist revolution to Southeast Asia and were part of an open political struggle. But even after China’s proxies in the political contest were defeated, China continued to try to shape public opinion in Singapore. This attempt differed from the 2016–17 episode mainly in the means deployed, which reflected the technologies available at the time.
On May 15, 1971, the Singapore government announced the arrest and detention of three individuals under the Internal Security Act. The government press statement revealed that “officials of a communist intelligence service based in Hong Kong” had between 1964 and 1968 given loans totaling more than 7 million Hong Kong dollars at the “ridiculously low interest rate of 0.1% per annum” to an ethnic Chinese businessman to start an English-language daily newspaper named the Eastern Sun.¹ The newspaper commenced publication in 1966. In return for the loans, the Eastern Sun was required not to oppose the PRC on major issues and to remain neutral on minor issues.
In 2004, China deployed intense pressure on Singapore when then deputy prime minister Lee Hsien Loong paid an unofficial visit to Taiwan. The Chinese were trying to get Singapore to cancel the visit. Singapore adheres to a “One China Policy,” but if
Appendix 2
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_020633
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