Prior to 2018, OCAO was an administrative office under the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for liaising with and influencing overseas Chinese as part of its united front efforts.

[9] In a 2022 ruling, a Canadian court stated that OCAO "engages in covert and surreptitious intelligence gathering”.

[13] OCAO is tasked with conducting overseas Chinese (OC) affairs work or qiaowu as part of the united front system.

[14] According to James To, an academic at the Institute of the Pacific United:[2] Qiaowu is ostensibly a comprehensive effort that seeks to maintain, protect, and enhance the rights and interests of the OC.

In practice, however, qiaowu works to legitimise and protect the CCP's hold on power, uphold China's international image, and retain influence over important channels of access to social, economic and political resources both domestically and abroad.