Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

1. Overview

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Chairman of the CCDPC stated that the CCDPC is a part of China's Democratic Party of China (DPC), [also known as China Democracy Party (CDP) or China Democratic Party] and is one of approximately 38 DPC regional committees in the world (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The same source indicated that the DPC cannot be legally established in China, and has set up DPC branches in other countries, with its headquarters in the US (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia, who conducts research on Chinese opposition parties in exile, similarly stated that the DPC in Canada is the Canadian committee of the US-based DPC led by Juntao Wang [1], headquartered in Flushing, New York (Associate Professor 28 July 2019). The CCDPC was incorporated in Canada on 2 August 2018 as a not-for-profit corporation named "Democratic Party of China Inc." (Canada 22 May 2019).

According to the CCDPC website, the CCDPC was established on 1 January 2018 (CCDPC n.d.a). The website of the US Committee of the DPC (ACDPC) states that Juntao Wang and Houqiang Yu [2], a member of the CCDPC, were assigned to establish the CCDPC by formulating its Charter, nominating inaugural party members and leaders, and determining the first set of [translation] "work projects"; the purpose of the CCDPC was to promote the development of the DPC in Canada (ACDPC 1 Jan. 2018). Another page of the CCDPC website states that the CCDPC was established in Toronto on 24 February 2018, and that its inaugural congress was held from 24 to 26 February 2018 (CCDPC 24 Feb. 2018).

According to sources, the DPC originated in 1998 when a group of activists attempted to form a legal opposition party in China (Human Rights Watch 1 Sept. 2000, 2; Political Handbook of the World 2019, 15). The same sources state that the DPC in China was eradicated by the arrest and detention of DPC members (Human Rights Watch 1 Sept. 2000, 2; Political Handbook of the World 2019, 15), over the course of the eighteen months after its formation (Human Rights Watch 1 Sept. 2000, 2). According to the Political Handbook of the World, DPC founders Youcai Wang and Wenli Xu were sentenced to jail, then released on medical grounds and left for the US (Political Handbook of the World 2019, 15). An article in World Politics Review (WPR), a nonpartisan company that provides "analysis of critical global trends" (WPR n.d.), states that the "majority" of DPC members live in exile, while prominent members still in China are serving long jail sentences (WPR 7 June 2016). According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018, the DPC remains banned and the government continues to "monitor, detain, and imprison current and former [DPC] members" (US 13 Mar. 2019, 45).

2. Connection to the DPC in China or Elsewhere

The Associate Professor indicated that there are eight DPCs outside of China with "only small differences between their names," most of which are headquartered in Flushing, New York, all claiming to be the "sole legitimate torch-bearer" of the ["crushed" (Associate Professor 28 July 2019)] DPC in China (Associate Professor 24 July 2019). The same source explained that:

Wang Juntao’s party has become the only one which is thriving, with sizeable memberships in the US, and now Canada. In his party, there are many founding DPC members who have fled to the US in [the last] decade or so. (Associate Professor 28 July 2019)

According to the CCDPC Chairman, there are many organizations registered as DPC or CDP in major cities in the world, but many have little "organizational connection" to the DPC in China, and only a few of them have "some personal contact" (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The WPR article indicates that the DPC membership in exile is "fragmented and riddled with infighting" (WPR 7 June 2016).

3. Mission

The CCDPC website indicates that the mission of the DPC is to end one-party rule and to establish constitutional democracy in China (CCDPC n.d.a). According to Human Rights Watch, the DPC "called for multiparty democracy in China and respect for human rights" (Human Rights Watch 1 Sept. 2000, 2). In a follow-up interview with the Research Directorate, the CCDPC Chairman stated that the party tries to educate Chinese individuals, who have arrived in North America, about democratic values (CCDPC 29 Aug. 2019). The Charter of the CCDPC, provided by the Chairman and translated into English, is attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

4. Structure

The CCDPC Chairman explained the following:

[The] DPC is a worldwide organization with two levels of hierarchical structure: a national committee and regional committee[s].

There is one regional committee in each province in China and in each country out[side] of China. Now, we have at least 24 regional committees in China and 14 regional committees out[side] of China. The regional committee[s] [are] established and managed by local people in accordance with the guidance of the national committee. The national committee is elected by representatives coming from regional committees in regularly held National Congress[es].

[The] Canada Committee is one of fourteen regional committees out[side] of China. According to the Charter of the DPC Canada Committee, the leading team of the DPC Canada Committee is as follows:

• a seven-member council,
• a chairman,
• an executive chair,
• a secretary-general,
• a treasurer,
• a number of chairman assistan[t]s.

All positions are announced publicly on the DPC Canada Committee website. (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019)

Without providing further details, the same source further stated that there are also some "operational groups" in the CCDPC, including the "Dong Yaoqiong [3] Focus" group (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The CCDPC website adds that the organizational structure includes a [translation] "project work group" that is responsible for arranging events (CCDPC n.d.b). The Chairman noted that the CCDPC plans to establish local committees in major cities in Canada (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019).

The CCDPC website describes the structure of the national committee as follows:

[translation]

• President: 1 person
• Vice-president: 2 people
• Executive committee: 7 people
• Supervisory committee: 9 people
• Advisory committee: 15 people. (CCDPC n.d.b)

5. Leadership

The Chairman stated that the second congress of the CCDPC was held on 1 June 2019 and the following leaders were elected:

• Yanqiu Zhang, Council Chairman;
• Rong Li, Haifeng Jin, Jianlin Liu, Kun Hao, Juntao Wang and Houqiang Yu, Council members;
• Juntao Wang, Chairman;
• Houqiang Yu, Executive Chairman;
• Kun Hao, Secretary-General;
• Yanqiu Zhang, Treasurer;
• Pan Kelan and Xue Pingqiao, Chairman Assistan[ts];
• Changfeng Lai and Man Zhang, Dong Yaoqiong Focus group for 2018;
• Yanguo Sun, Shaoren Zhang, Wenrui He and Yongqing Zheng, Dong Yaoqiong Focus group for 2019 (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019).

According to the CCDPC website, the [translation] "Democracy Party Leadership Council" includes:

• Juntao Wang, President;
• Jian Zhang, Executive Chair of the ACDPC;
• Liqun Chen, Vice President;
• Nianchun Liu [4], Vice President (CCDPC n.d.c).

6. Membership

According to the CCDPC Chairman, the main requirement to become a member is agreeing to the mission of the DPC (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). According to samples of member IDs sent by the same source, additional requirements include endorsing the party constitution, abiding by the rules of the party, participating in party activities, completing party tasks, protecting "the honor of the party," and trying to "realize constitutional democracy"; the samples of member identity cards are attached to this Response (Attachment 2). The CCDPC Chairman also stated that the procedure to join the CCDPC consists of an interview, completing the registration form, paying the membership fee of C$120 per year and receiving a member ID; there is also an optional oath ceremony (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The CCDPC website states that the interview focuses on information about the party, including [translation] "name, mission, a brief history, organizational structure, leadership team, procedures for joining the party, [and] duties performed by party members," as well as the member's personal information, including their "social background, resume, past and current ideologies, political stance and views, and interest in joining the party" (CCDPC n.d.d). The same source notes that the CCDPC issues receipts for all party dues (CCDPC n.d.d).

The Chairman noted that in the "early days" of the CCDPC, members were issued the ACDPC member ID (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). Samples of member IDs of the CCDPC and ACDPC, provided by the CCDPC Chairman, are attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

7. Activities

The CCDPC Chairman stated that all members are "usually required" to participate in party activities, including weekly meetings and street protests, and online campaigning, which includes publishing articles on the CCDPC website and spreading "pro-democracy information" on social media (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The CCDPC website adds that the weekly meetings are focused on [translation] "party learning," which includes political knowledge and international and domestic situations (CCDPC n.d.e). According to a schedule of events on the CCDPC website, examples of meetings include a lecture on the Chinese economy by a Peking University professor and a class on [translation] "Understanding Chinese People and Culture – The Minds of Ordinary People: Why do the Farmers Suffer So Much" (CCDPC 9 Feb. 2019). The Chairman explained that the party keeps track of their membership through databases, which includes what activities the members were involved with, what articles they have published and what awards they have received from the party (CCDPC 29 Aug. 2019).

8. Treatment of Family Members of Canada-Based Party Members by Chinese Authorities

The information in the following paragraph was provided by the CCDPC Chairman:

Chinese authorities monitor overseas Chinese DPC members through photographs and videos taken during DPC activities. Some overseas DPC members who have returned to China faced "trouble," while others have not; the treatment of the DPC members has been "arbitrary" and some authorities do not "care enough" to intervene. Some members have indicated that they were not aware that they could get in trouble with the authorities by getting involved with the party. A member who has a higher profile does not necessarily attract more attention than someone with a low profile (CCDPC 29 Aug. 2019).

The Chairman stated that some CCDPC members have reported that their relatives in China were visited by Chinese authorities and asked to pass along "threatening message[s]" to the DPC member (CCDPC 1 Aug. 2019). The same source explained that the treatment of the China-based relatives of a DPC member depends on a number of factors, including the following:

• whether the kind of activities in which the member was involved are considered "more sensitive" in the eyes of the authorities, such as activities around state visits by Xi Jinping;
• whether the timing of the activities coincides with "sensitive times" or dates of political significance;
• whether the family member cooperates with the authorities or if the family member is also involved with DPC activities - family members who are involved with party activities will be punished according to article 105 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [5];
• whether the family member is located in a region where local authorities are more likely to get involved. In some regions, local authorities may be reluctant to allocate resources to cases concerning Canada; however, local authorities will get involved if there is pressure from the Central government. In Beijing, members generally do not get much attention unless they are involved in high profile cases, whereas members in Guangzhou get more attention because local authorities are very concerned with influences from Hong Kong and Taiwan; authorities in Guangzhou have increased monitoring of DPC members due to the Hong Kong protests;
• the officer dealing with the case; young officers may be more zealous as a way to build their careers (CCDPC 29 Aug. 2019).

Further and corroborating information on the treatment of China-based relatives of members of the CCDPC by Chinese authorities, and whether Chinese authorities are aware of the CCDPC, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to Human Rights Watch, authorities "tr[y] to silence Chinese human rights defenders abroad by harassing and detaining their families in China" (Human Rights Watch 17 Jan. 2019). A "former high-level [Chinese] diplomat," who defected to Australia in 2005, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the family members of dissidents abroad who are involved with anti-communist groups will "'definitely be harmed'" (Al Jazeera 9 Apr. 2018). Sources indicate that China-based relatives of Anastasia Lin, a Canadian human rights activist, were threatened by Chinese authorities (Human Rights Watch 17 Jan. 2019; Lin 26 June 2015) and banned from travel abroad (Human Rights Watch 17 Jan. 2019, 5). Sources state that the China-based parents of Shawn Zhang, a law student in Canada, were pressured by Chinese authorities after Zhang posted an image of a Tibetan flag [with the words "Free Tibet" (Business Insider 24 May 2018; Ottawa Citizen 17 Jan. 2018)] on social media (The Globe and Mail 9 July 2018; Ottawa Citizen 17 Jan. 2018; Business Insider 24 May 2018). Sources indicate that Zhang's post came to the attention of the local Public Security Bureau because someone reported it (Ottawa Citizen 17 Jan. 2018; Business Insider 24 May 2018). According to sources, the police contacted Zhang's parents again after he posted an ["unflattering" (The Globe and Mail 9 July 2018)] image of Xi Jinping on social media (Business Insider 24 May 2018; The Globe and Mail 9 July 2018).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] According to the Guardian, in the 1980s, Juntao Wang co-founded China's "most professional" pro-democracy magazine, Beijing Spring, campaigned on university campuses and established an independent think tank (The Guardian 3 May 2009). Wang acted as an advisor to the student leaders of the Tiananmen Square movement (The Guardian 3 May 2009; CBC 4 June 2019). He was arrested and sentenced to thirteen years in prison for his alleged role as a "black hand" [or "evil mastermind" (The Guardian 3 May 2009)] in the Tiananmen protests (The Guardian 3 May 2009; CBC 4 June 2019). He was released on medical grounds in 1994 and moved to the US (CNN 7 Oct. 2013; The Guardian 3 May 2009).

[2] Houqiang Yu was a student leader at the Tiananmen Square protests (The Globe and Mail 2 June 2019; Huang 1 June 2007).

[3] Yaoqiong Dong is a Chinese woman who was detained in a psychiatric hospital in July 2018 after live-streaming a video of herself throwing ink onto a picture of Xi Jinping (RFA 1 Aug. 2018; ABC News 5 June 2019).

[4] Nianchun Liu was a labour activist in China who was jailed then exiled in 1998 (Human Rights Watch 20 Dec. 1998; HRIC 20 Dec. 1998) to the US (HRIC 20 Dec. 1998).

[5] Article 105 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, amended in 1997, provides the following:

Among those who organize, plot or carry out the scheme of subverting the State power or overthrowing the socialist system, the ringleaders and the others who commit major crimes shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years; the ones who take an active part in it shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years; and the other participants shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, public surveillance or deprivation of political rights.

Whoever incites others by spreading rumors or slanders or any other means to subvert the State power or overthrow the socialist system shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years, criminal detention, public surveillance or deprivation of political rights; and the ringleaders and the others who commit major crimes shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years. (China 1979)

References

ABC News. 5 June 2019. Tracey Shelton and Bang Xiao. "China 'Disappeared' Several High-Profile People in 2018 and Some of Them Are Still Missing." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Al Jazeera. 9 April 2018. Steve Chao and Liz Gooch. "No Escape: The Fearful Life of China's Exiled Dissidents." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Associate Professor, The University of Western Australia. 28 July 2019. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Associate Professor, The University of Western Australia. 24 July 2019. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Business Insider. 24 May 2018. Tara Francis Chan. "China's 'Great Firewall' Is Taller than Ever Under 'President-For-Life' Xi Jinping." [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019]

Canada. 22 May 2019. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Corporations Canada. "Federal Corporation Information – 1092977-8." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 4 June 2019. Saša Petricic. "From Hope to Despair: Remembering Tiananmen Everywhere Except Where It Happened." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Cable News Network (CNN). 7 October 2013. Jaime A. FlorCruz. "The Good, the Bad and the Exiled? China's Class of '77." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). 29 August 2019. Interview with the Chairman, Vancouver.

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). 1 August 2019. Correspondence from the Chairman to the Research Directorate.

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). 9 February 2019. "2019年党课及活动安排" (2019 Party Lecture Schedule). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). 24 February 2018. "中国民主党加拿大委员会于2月24日在多伦多正式成立!" (The Democracy Party of China Canada Committee Was Formally Established in Toronto on February 24). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). N.d.a. "民主党简介" (Introduction to the Democracy Party). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). N.d.b. "民主党组织结构" (The Democracy Party Organizational Structure). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). N.d.c. "民主党领导团队介" (Democracy Party Leadership Council). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). N.d.d. "民主党入党流程" (The Process for Joining the Democracy Party). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Canadian Committee Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). N.d.e. "民主党党员工作" (The Duties of Democracy Party Members). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

China. 1979 (amended 1997). Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. [Accessed 30 Aug. 2019]

The Globe and Mail. 2 June 2019. Nathan VaderKlippe. "In 1989, China Extinguished Tiananmen's Protests – But Lit the Spark for a Religious Revival." (Factiva) [Accessed 21 Aug. 2019]

The Globe and Mail. 9 July 2018. Nathan VanderKlippe. "UBC Student Uses Satellite Images to Track Suspected Chinese Re-Education Centres Where Uyghurs Imprisoned." [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019]

The Guardian. 3 May 2009. Isabel Hilton. "Tiananmen: The Flame Burns On." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Huang, Joyce. 1 June 2007. "Dark Messenger." Taiwan Review. [Accessed 21 Aug. 2019]

Human Rights in China (HRIC). 20 December 1998. "Liu Nianchun Released as Hostage Game Continues." [Accessed 21 Aug. 2019]

Human Rights Watch. 17 January 2019. "China." World Report 2019: Events of 2018. [Accessed 8 Aug. 2019]

Human Rights Watch. 1 September 2000. China: Nipped in the Bud. The Suppression of the China Democracy Party. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Human Rights Watch. 20 December 1998. "China Once Again Using Activists as Bargaining Chips." [Accessed 21 Aug. 2019]

Lin, Anastasia. 26 June 2015. "I Won Miss World Canada. But My Work Puts My Father at Risk in China." The Washington Post. [Accessed 5 Sept. 2019]

Ottawa Citizen. 17 January 2018. Terry Glavin. "How China's Dictatorship Reached a Student in Vancouver." [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019]

Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019. 2019. "China: People's Republic Of." Edited by Tom Lansford. Thousand Oaks: CQ Press. [Accessed 22 July 2019]

Radio Free Asia (RFA). 1 August 2018. Yang Fan, Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man. "Chinese Police Detain Father of Ink-Splash Woman Held in Mental Hospital." Translated by Luisetta Mudie. [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

United States (US). 13 March 2019. Department of State. "China (Includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018. [Accessed 1 Aug. 2019]

US Committee of the Democratic Party of China (ACDPC). 1 January 2018. "加拿大即将建立中国民主党地区委员会" (Democracy Party of China Regional Committee to Be Established in Canada). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 1 Aug. 2019]

World Politics Review (WPR). 7 June 2016. Yaqiu Wang. "Amid Crackdown, China's Dissidents Fight to Keep the Spirit of Tiananmen Alive." [Accessed 9 Aug. 2019]

World Politics Review (WPR). N.d. "About WPR." [Accessed 12 Aug. 2019]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Amnesty International; Chinese Human Rights Defenders; professor who conducts research on Chinese migration and connection between Canada and Hong Kong; professor who conducts research on non-state actors in global politics with a focus on Asia.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; BBC; ecoi.net; The Economist; Freedom House; The New Yorker; South China Morning Post; The Straits Times; UN – Refworld; US – Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Attachments

1. Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). "Constitution of the Democracy Party of China Canada Committee." Sent to the Research Directorate by the Chairman, 1 August 2019. Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
2. Canadian Committee of the Democracy Party of China (CCDPC). Sample of Member IDs. Sent to the Research Directorate by the Chairman of the CCDPC, 1 August 2019.