Hidden front
In Chinese Communist Party jargon, the hidden front is a phrase that describes CCP espionage and influence operations, including when the CCP was still an underground movement in mainland China before the establishment of the [People's Republic of China|establishment of the People's Republic] in 1949.
Contemporary usage
In China
A government website in Henan, in reference to CCP intelligence activities against the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War, remarked that "fighters on the covert front are loyal guardians of national security. At present, the situation of the struggle is changing, the situation of the hidden enemy is grim and complicated, and on the special battlefield of the hidden front, there are many unsung heroes who are silently dedicating their youth and lives."The Strait Herald, a newspaper of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the [Chinese Communist Party|Fujian Provincial Committee of the CCP], credited the hidden front for uncovering what it claims to be espionage activities of "Detention of [Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig|the two Michael's]" following Canada's arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. Former Ministry of [State Security |Ministry of State Security] director and CCP Politburo member Chen Wenqing called on party members at all levels to attach great importance to and support the work of the "hidden front".
The 2020 edition of The Science of Military Strategy, a core textbook for People's Liberation Army officers, states that enemy hidden front activities, such as psychological warfare and inciting defections, have become increasingly intense.