U.S. Issues Warning on China’s Extensive Global Information Manipulation Campaign Endangering Peace and Stability

In global perception, China’s Xinjiang region is infamous for the subjugation of its ethnic Uyghur population through forced labor and indiscriminate imprisonment. However, a select group of foreign journalists recently toured the region under the auspices of the Chinese government and came away portraying a markedly different picture.

Sponsored by Beijing, the 22 journalists from 17 different nations visited local markets and interacted with inhabitants. Subsequently, they reported to state-controlled media outlets that the region was economically vibrant and replete with cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity, thereby challenging Western media narratives.

This state-sponsored tour exemplifies what the U.S. government views as China’s intensifying endeavors to control the international discourse about itself, allocating billions of dollars yearly to such efforts. A pioneering report from the U.S. State Department, released last week, delineated the methods employed by Beijing to shape global public opinion, which include purchasing media content, fabricating online personas to propagate its messages, and suppressing dissident voices.

The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, assigned with the responsibility to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation, issued the 58-page report and cautioned that Beijing’s information warfare tactics could have far-reaching implications, including influencing international decision-making and undermining American strategic interests.

Jamie Rubin, who leads the center, stated that the unchecked proliferation of Beijing’s information manipulation could curtail the freedom to voice criticisms of China globally. This could result in a transformation of the international information ecosystem to the detriment of the security and stability of the United States and its allies. Rubin stressed that a world swayed by a blend of truths and untruths would jeopardize the rules-based order upon which many countries depend.

China vehemently disputed the allegations in the report, accusing it of being disinformation and terming the U.S. as the original instigator of the global disinformation arms race. Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, dismissed the report as yet another instrument to perpetuate American dominance.

Beijing contends that Western media harbor longstanding biases against China, an assertion endorsed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has called for China to tell its own story to gain global trust and respect.

However, U.S. officials counter that China advances its narrative through coercion and deceit. The report cites instances where fake commentators, such as Yi Fan, have been created to write pro-Beijing articles in international publications. Moreover, the Chinese government has been employing botnets and trolls on social media to suppress critical content and amplify messages favorable to Beijing. Devices manufactured in China have even been discovered with built-in censorship functionalities.

Concerning Hong Kong, a national security law has facilitated the prosecution of overseas critics of Beijing’s policies. On the issue of Ukraine, the report notes China’s collaboration with Russia to propagate false narratives. And within Xinjiang, orchestrated visits by diplomats and foreign journalists aim to counter allegations of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs.

Independent organizations like the United Nations and the U.S. government have gone so far as to label Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang as potential crimes against humanity and genocide, respectively. Nonetheless, Beijing continues to prevent independent reporting within the region and intimidates overseas critics by threatening punitive actions against their relatives in China.

While the State Department’s report is primarily concerned with China’s global disinformation activities, it corroborates findings by U.S. think tanks and advocacy groups. During a recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, experts warned that China’s disinformation could disrupt social cohesion and potentially influence local electoral outcomes in the U.S., especially among Chinese American voters who frequently use Beijing-controlled apps like WeChat.

Similarly, Glenn Tiffert, co-chair of a project examining China’s influence campaigns at the Hoover Institute, alerted the committee that advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence, could potentially make China’s interference in U.S. elections more effective.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about China’s Global Information Manipulation Campaign

More about China’s Global Information Manipulation Campaign

• U.S. State Department Report on China’s Information Manipulation
• Global Engagement Center Overview
• United Nations Report on Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang
• Hoover Institute Study on China’s Influence Campaigns
• Freedom House Testimony on Chinese Disinformation in the U.S.
• Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on Foreign Interference
• China’s National Security Law in Hong Kong
• Examination of China’s Activities in Ukraine
• WeChat and its Role in Chinese-American Communities