China's Suspicions of Foreign Organizations Re-Emerge

Wide-scale but low-profile examinations of foreign nongovernmental organizations and their connections with domestic academia and social institutions inside China reflect Beijing's growing paranoia. In particular, a recent probe exposed concerns about foreign organizations' influence over local affairs and their ability to attract intellectual communities — key avenues for influencing public opinion, especially in regard to sensitive subjects such as the environment, human rights and political campaigns. 

The rhetoric surrounding liberal reforms has grown in recent years, alongside increasing ideological debates in the public realm. The Communist Party is wary of losing ideological dominance and oversight of politically sensitive domains. The suspicion that Western organizations have a role to play in political unrest has exacerbated China's concerns. There is a genuine fear that the "color revolutions" in the former Soviet Union and beyond could be extended as a means to subvert Beijing. By integrating the investigation of non-governmental organizations under the newly established National Security Committee, Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration has indicated that the perceived threat from foreign organizations and the ideological battle against "peaceful evolution" has re-emerged as a national security priority.