China Embarrassed by Leak of Communist Party Membership List Containing 1.95 Million Members

Australian and British Media Report 1.95 Million Party Members Working at Embassies and Global Companies
Chinese Media Condemn Western Camp's Witch Hunt Including Australia, Criticizing Personal Data Leaks

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese media reported on the 15th that the Western camp's 'witch hunt' has resumed, with the illegal leak of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) membership list reaching 2 million people.

Chinese state-run Global Times and Huanqiu Shibao claimed that media reports alleging CCP members stationed at foreign embassies and foreign companies in China are engaged in espionage activities are fabricated, and that the leaked information cannot be trusted.

Chinese media emphasized that the leaked information of 1.95 million people includes personal details such as names, dates of birth, positions, ID numbers, and phone numbers.

UK's Sky News reported on the 13th (local time) that a list containing detailed information of CCP members working worldwide was made public, originating from Australia.

The outlet described this CCP membership list leak as a Pandora's box that reveals how the CCP operates and how Chinese President Xi Jinping manages the party.

It also reported that the data proves CCP members are hiding inside Western companies and other places, and that the Chinese leadership, including President Xi, must be very embarrassed by this leak.

Sky News reported that the CCP membership list was extracted from a Shanghai server in April 2016 by Chinese dissidents, and that the list includes not only names but also the status of over 79,000 CCP branches worldwide. The media explained that most CCP branches exist inside overseas companies.

The outlet stated that the information was jointly analyzed by media from four countries: Australia, the UK, Belgium, and Sweden.

Sky News added that while there is no evidence that CCP members engaged in espionage, concerns remain about whether the companies employing them knew their identities and what measures were taken to protect company information from them.

In response to such reports from Australia and other Western media, Chinese media criticized the Western camp, which values personal information, for violating the personal data of Chinese people and failing to provide any evidence of espionage activities.

Huanqiu Shibao expressed dissatisfaction that Australian media published speculative articles claiming that CCP members infiltrated US, UK, and Australian consulates and banks in China. However, it acknowledged the possibility that overseas companies and foreign missions employed CCP members.

Huanqiu Shibao emphasized that there are over 90 million CCP members and that most are outstanding talents, but stressed that they are ordinary Chinese people who joined the party.

It sarcastically remarked that considering CCP members as invaders or spies is an ideological product of the United States and a notion born out of serious ignorance of China's situation.

Global Times highlighted that CCP members work at foreign embassies in Shanghai and major foreign companies' Chinese branches such as IKEA, Volkswagen, and Pfizer, and emphasized that the claims are merely intentional distortions of Chinese society by the Western camp, including the US.