CCP’s united front groups in Estonia — more about Zhang Xiaotian (张啸天) before he joined 
Curtin University (h/t )
The Baltic Chinese Association (BCA, 波罗的海华人联合会), aka the Baltic Chinese Students and Scholars Association (BCSSA, 波罗的海中国学生学者联合会), was established in 2013 and claims to have more than 500 members from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.
According to the BCSSA’s website, the chairman of its board is Zhang Xiaotian, who completed a doctorate at the University of Tartu in 2013. The Estonian Research Information System notes that, since 2017, Zhang has held the positions of deputy vice president of Shanghai University (SHU) and director-general of SHU Global in Shanghai.
In Sep 2019, Zhang participated in SHU’s United Front Symposium dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Zhang gave a speech as SHU’s International Department’s director, in which he shared his experience studying and working abroad for ten years, expressed gratitude for working at SHU after returning to China and discussed his determination to repay the kindness to the motherland.
Beyond the Baltic Chinese Association, Zhang has achieved remarkable success as an administrator at some of Estonia’s top universities. Soon after finishing his doctorate, Zhang was appointed to senior university administration posts in Estonia. In 2014–15, he served as the chief specialist in international cooperation at the University of Tartu rector’s Strategy Office, which is responsible for relations with Asia. In 2020–21, he held the post of vice-rector of the Estonian Business School — the oldest privately owned business university in Estonia. From 2017 to 2022, he also served as vice rector of science at Kazakhstan’s University of International Business. As of 2022, Zhang was associate deputy vice chancellor at Curtin University in Australia.
In Estonia, Zhang has promoted cooperation with China by organizing business forums. Between 2009 and 2015, his companies Raatuse International Trade and Baltic China Group organised four Baltic-China annual business conferences. Conference speakers diversified over the years. In 2010, all speakers were from academia. In 2012, the speakers’ list featured local-level leaders from Scandinavia, a Chinese diplomat in Tallinn and an Estonian policymaker.
The conferences Zhang co-organized evolved into high-profile events, attracting the participation of senior Estonian figures and entities linked to the CCP’s influence agencies. By 2015, the conference had gained bipartisan political support. ambassador Qu Zhe 曲喆 and the head of the Estonian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, Hannes Hanso, both gave speeches. Another speaker was Mark Hedley of the China-British Business Council, a British lobby group that brings together some of Britain’s largest companies and promotes trade and investment with China. The council was founded in 1991 with the backing of the 48 Group Club, a London-based NGO dedicated to promoting trade between the PRC and the UK.
In Jan 2016, Zhang participated in an event organized by the Tallinn University Confucius Institute (CI) to promote BRI. At that gathering, Zhang gave a presentation on the status of China’s development, bilateral economic relations and the implementation of BRI. The Confucius Institutes are part of the PRC’s propaganda apparatus. In 2010, Estonia hosted the man overseeing the propaganda system at the time, Li Changchun 李长春, at the opening of Estonia’s only CI, at Tallinn University. In Nov 2020, Zhang and ambassador Li Chao published companion articles in the Estonian business daily Äripäev calling for greater economic interaction with China.
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Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
One of Australia’s most senior university executives — tasked with brokering research deals with China — once travelled to Xi’an, Shaanxi province, to take part in a leadership training seminar attended by the second-in-command of the Government’s overseas community affairs.
Show more Government’s overseas community affairs.
