United Front Presence in Mexico Expands into United States

United Front Presence in Mexico Expands into United States

Executive Summary:

• The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) united front network in Mexico contains at least 81 organizations, often led by powerful businessmen who leverage their commercial success in critical sectors like green energy to build ties with Mexican officials while maintaining formal roles in core united front bodies like the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
• These organizations cultivate ties with Mexican legislators and municipal officials to facilitate Beijing’s broader geopolitical goals. They also seek to influence local discourse, for instance by making statements opposing the U.S. government legislation, such as the recent passing of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act.
• The united front presence in Mexico has functioned as a bridge to the United States. Individuals with business operations in Mexico have expanded to set up U.S. corporate headquarters, and Mexico-based united front organizations have appointed U.S.-based community leaders to advisory positions, establishing a seamless influence corridor that bypasses traditional diplomatic channels.

On December 5, 2025, the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Mexico (墨西哥中国和平统一促进会) and China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Northwestern Mexico (墨西哥西北地区中国和平统一促进会) published a joint statement opposing and condemning the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which the U.S. government passed into law earlier that week (Huaren Toutiao, December 6, 2025). [1] The act mandates that the U.S. Department of State reviews its guidance governing U.S.–Taiwan relations and report their findings at least once every five years (U.S. Congress, accessed January 5). In the statement, the Chinese organizations said that they will further strengthen communication and exchange with local governments in Mexico and other relevant people, enhance Mexican society’s objective understanding of the Taiwan issue, and strive to win greater understanding and support from more international friends. On December 8, a similar statement was put out by the All-Mexico Federation of Chinese Associations (全墨西哥华人华侨总会) (Huawen Times, December 9, 2025). [2]

These organizations are just three of at least 81 in Mexico that are linked to the united front system, a global network set up by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to advance its interests around the world. These include 28 business and trade promotion organizations and 23 identity-based organizations, as well as a number of professional, political, cultural, and educational organizations. Most are distributed across Mexico City, Mérida, Tijuana, and Mexicali. The statements criticizing U.S. policy are the visible products of the Party’s mobilization of this network in Mexico, with the aim of shaping local discourse and influencing Mexican society and politics.

Mexico’s importance to the CCP extends well beyond its bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Historically, due to its proximity to the United States, Mexico was viewed as a “window” (窗子) for the PRC to observe U.S. technological progress (Sina Technology, August 30, 2004). Leaders like Mao Zedong encouraged Mexico to play a role in the PRC’s broader strategy in countering the United States (Marxists.org, April 20, 1973). Today, Party leaders have repeatedly framed Mexico as an asset in advancing their preferred international order and in counterbalancing U.S. influence. In June 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping stated that the PRC–Mexico relationship “transcends the bilateral scope” (超越双边关系范畴), and jointly upgraded it to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” (全面战略伙伴), the PRC’s second-highest level of bilateral partnership (Xinhua, June 5, 2013; China Brief, September 6, 2024, September 20, 2024). In June 2024, Xi stated PRC–Mexico relations reached a “crucial stage” (重要时期), given that a “strategic, complementary, and mutually beneficial nature is continuously emerging” (战略性、互补性、互利性不断显现) (Xinhua, June 4, 2024).

Led by Businessmen

United front-linked organizations in Mexico are usually led by well-established businessmen with resources that allow them to make further connections with local government and society. For example, the Mexican Chinese Business Association (MexChina; 墨西哥中华企业协会), established in 2010, was founded by Bao Ronglin (包荣林) (Sina, June 28, 2010; China Business Time, November 27, 2023; MexChina, accessed January 13). [3] Bao is the CEO of an international trade company, Oriental Group Mexico (墨西哥东方集团). Besides promoting Mexican mineral and other exports to the PRC, Bao and his company are actively expanding into the new energy sector, investing in and developing solar power plants. This includes a 100 megawatt project for Risen Mexico, a subsidiary of PRC firm Risen Energy (东方日升新能源) (Xinhua, May 30, 2018; Zhejiang Merchants Museum, December 1, 2023; Risen, July 2016; August 28, 2025). In 2020, Bao acquired Bimex, a brand that produces mechanical and electric bicycles, and claimed to have invested in a Bimex manufacturing plant in the “Morelos Science and Technology Park,” which helps build relationships with the local government (Reporte Indigo, November 17, 2023; Ejecentral, May 9, 2025).

Bao’s PRC ties are not limited to business ventures; he is actively involved in Beijing’s overseas political work. He served as an overseas delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 2015 and is a member of the fifth council of the China Overseas Exchange Association (中国海外交流协会), both of which are core components of the CCP’s united front system (Zhejiang Association of Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs, March 12, 2015; Network Group International, Accessed March 2, 2019). In 2017, he also founded a chamber of commerce in Mexico, the Yangtze River Chamber of Investment and Commerce (墨西哥长江国际商会). At the time, Mexico’s then-secretary of the economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal said that the government attached great importance to the chamber and hoped it would become a key bridge for Mexico–China economic exchange. He also expressed willingness to attend its founding event (Sohu, December 1, 2017).

Bao and his organizations have facilitated political and subnational engagement between Mexico and the PRC—key aspects of united front work. In 2019, he led a Mexican delegation to the PRC that included Congresswoman Estela Núñez Álvarez and Villahermosa Vice Mayor Gabriel Oropeza Varela. The trip led to friendship city agreements between Tianmen and Villahermosa and between Ningbo and Durango (Zhejiang Toutiao, March 2, 2019; Yangtze River International Chamber of Commerce, June 8, 2020). Bao has cultivated ties with Mexican legislators, municipal officials, and regional development figures, positioning himself as a bridge between Mexican political leaders and Chinese institutions. [4]

Ties to the United States

Mexican united front-linked organizations are likely part of a broader transnational network that includes the United States. One example is the Mexico Chinese Security Committee (墨西哥华人安全委员会). [5] The organization is well-connected with not only the PRC government but also various overseas Chinese community organizations, including MexChina (MexChina, accessed January 13). Feng Chengkang (冯成康), the committee’s chairman, has publicly claimed to have met with senior political figures in the United States, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former secretary of state Hillary Clinton (Global Chinese, October 31, 2019). In April 2024, the committee appointed Zhang Sujiu (张素久) as a permanent adviser (Huaren One Media, April 15, 2024). Zhang is a long-standing U.S.-based overseas Chinese leader with formal roles in core united front agencies, including CPPCC, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the China Overseas Exchange Association (Qiaobao, March 14, 2012; Huaren One Media, April 15, 2024; Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, accessed January 4). She is affiliated with multiple united front organizations in southern California and has organized numerous major activities within the overseas Chinese community there.

Corporate trajectories further show these cross-border linkages. Solarever, a photovoltaics manufacturer founded and scaled in Mexico, has repositioned itself after a decade of operations as a transnational enterprise headquartered in the United States, with research and procurement centers in the PRC and manufacturing facilities in Mexico (Forbes Shanghai, December 10, 2023). The company is chaired by Simon Zhao (赵子强), who also serves as a vice chairman of MexChina (MexChina, accessed January 4; Solarever Holdings, accessed January 13). Solarever’s evolution from a PRC-linked firm rooted in Mexico to a U.S.-headquartered company shows how Mexico-based Chinese businesses—including those with ties to the Party’s united front system—can function as platforms for expansion into the United States.

Conclusion

Understanding the CCP’s united front presence in Mexico is essential for assessing the full scope of Beijing’s overseas political work in the Western Hemisphere. As the examples of united front actor Zhang Sujiu and businessman Simon Zhao make clear, Mexico functions as a bridge between PRC-aligned actors and the United States.

Notes

[1] The former group’s Spanish name is la Alianza Mexicana de Pro-Unificación Pacífica de China. The latter, which is possibly a regional branch organization, does not appear to have a Spanish name.

[2] The group’s Spanish name is Federación China en México.

[3] The group’s Spanish name is Asociación de Empresarios Zhonghua en México.

[4] In May 2025, Mexican media reported that authorities in Morelos, following requests for international cooperation, were investigating Bao Ronglin in connection with suspected fraud tied to “China–Morelos Expo” events and purported investment projects, including scrutiny of a former state economic official, questions over the legal existence of organizations he claimed to lead, and irregularities surrounding a Bimex bicycle plant (Zocalo, May 4, 2025; El Pulso Colima, May 5, 2025). Bao said those are false accusations (Ejecentral, May 9, 2025).

[5] The group’s Spanish name is Comite De Seguridad Chinos En Mexico.