New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) A Chinese-run networking club, targeting business and political elites in Brussels, bears the hallmarks of an influence and intelligence-gathering operation, according to a report in Euronews based on a Western intelligence source.
The ‘Global CEOs Dinner Club’, which is now expanding to France, operates in a manner associated with China’s United Front, a Communist Party network used to promote Beijing’s interests abroad, according to the source.
The assessment comes as Belgium has recently been at the centre of several espionage probes launched by its Federal Prosecutor’s Office, including investigations into a former Chinese-Belgian researcher in the semiconductor industry and a Canadian national of Chinese origin working at NATO in Mons, states the report by Peggy Corlin.
The organisation has been floated in Brussels by Yifei Yang, who runs the ‘Global CEOs Dinner Club’. He has studied in China and at a private European institute in Nice, France.
French investigative news portal La Lettre reported last week that her activities are under close observation by a Western intelligence service.
Yang’s activities reflect the modus operandi of China’s United Front, a Communist Party network known for promoting China’s interests through organisations and individuals abroad, while some of its activities have also been linked to the gathering of information for Chinese intelligence services, the Euronews report states.
Contacted by Euronews, Yang denied that China was behind the club, insisting that “we are neutral” and adding that its objective was to have an “impact on society” and “build sustainable business”.
The report highlights that since last March, the ‘Global CEOs Dinner Club’ has brought together business figures as well as people connected to Belgian and EU politics at events covering topics ranging from sustainability and diversity to technology and artificial intelligence.
Its guest list includes prominent corporate figures such as Hui Zhang, vice-president of Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO; Melanie Schuttenberg, a board member of Danish car components company TAJCO; and Ole Gerkensmeyer, CSO of Netherlands-based chipmaker Nexperia, said the report.
Yang said the organisation currently has 20 members from countries including France, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, China and Singapore. Annual membership costs 2,400 euros for individuals and 5,000 euros for companies.
“It is not all about business,” Yang told Euronews, describing the organisation as “value-driven”. She said 10 per cent of its revenue goes to NGOs and charities.
–IANS
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