In global game of influence, China turns to a cheap and effective tool: fake news

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WASHINGTON (AP) — When veteran U.S. diplomat Kurt Campbell traveled to the Solomon Islands to confront Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific nation, he quickly saw how far China would go to spread its message.

The Biden administration’s Asia czar woke up one morning in 2022 to a long article in the local press about the United States running chemical and biological laboratories in Ukraine, a claim Washington calls an outright lie. This false and incendiary claim, initiated by Russia, has been aggressively amplified by China’s vast propaganda apparatus abroad.

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It was another example of “clearly effective Russian and Chinese disinformation,” Campbell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July.

Two years later, the claim still resonates online, demonstrating China’s sprawling efforts to reshape global perceptions. The campaign, which costs several billion dollars a year, is more complex than ever thanks to artificial intelligence. The Chinese operations have drawn the attention of intelligence analysts and policymakers in Washington, who have vowed to combat any actions that could influence the November election or undermine American interests.

Key tactic: Networks of websites claiming to be legitimate news outlets, offering pro-China coverage that often parallels official statements and positions from Beijing.

Shannon Van Sant, an advisor to the Hong Kong Foundation’s Freedom Commission, traces a network of dozens of websites posing as news organizations. One site imitated the New York Times, using a similar font and design in what it described as an attempt at legitimacy. The website carries strongly pro-China messages.

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When Van Sant searched for the site’s correspondents, she found no information. Their names did not belong to any well-known journalist working in China, and their photos bore clear signs that they had been created using artificial intelligence.

“Manipulation of the media is ultimately manipulation of readers and the public, and this is harmful to democracy and society,” Van Sant said.

Liu Bingyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States, said that allegations that China is using news sites and social media to spread pro-Beijing information and influence public opinion in the United States are “full of malicious speculation against China, which China firmly opposes.”

In addition to state media, Beijing has turned to foreign players — whether real or not — to convey messages and lend credibility to pro-Communist Party narratives, said Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Information. . Xiao is also editor-in-chief of China Digital Times, a bilingual news website that collects information from and about China.

Xiao said Beijing’s methods are wide-ranging and its links to the government are often difficult to prove. But whether they are journalists with American-sounding names or an Indian influencer, the persistent pro-Beijing messages expose them.

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“The implicit message is the same — that the Chinese Communist Party works for its people,” Xiao said.

Analysts at the cybersecurity firm logically identified 1,200 websites that published stories by Russian or Chinese state media. The sites often target specific audiences and have names that resemble traditional news organizations or defunct newspapers.

Unlike Russia or Iran, which showed clear preferences in the US presidential campaign, Beijing is more cautious and focused on spreading positive content about China.

Although these sites are not owned by China, they moderate Chinese content. When we logically looked at content related to the US election specifically, 20% of it could be traced back to Chinese or Russian state media.

“There is a high probability that these articles will influence American audiences without them even knowing where they came from,” said Alex Nelson, senior director of strategy and analysis at Logically.

According to the Gallup World Poll, more countries surveyed view the United States favorably, but the share of countries in which views of both the United States and China are generally negative is higher than it was 15 years ago, indicating that the U.S. It doesn’t seem to be making gains over 15 years. China.

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Some American officials want to increase spending to achieve equality. This month, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would allocate $325 million annually until 2027 to counter China’s global influence, including disinformation campaigns. This measure still requires Senate approval.

“We’re in a global competition for influence with China, and if you want to win it, you can’t do it on a middle-power budget,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the systematic accumulation of Chinese narratives that would give his country a global voice “commensurate” with its international standing.

Beijing has invested in state media such as Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television to convey its messages to global audiences in various languages ​​and platforms. Local media groups are setting up “international call centers” to build a presence abroad through websites, news channels and social media accounts.

Beijing has also established media partnerships around the world, and the article Campbell read in the Solomon Islands was likely a result of that partnership.

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Garrett Reddick, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said China’s reach is linked to the global race for economic dominance in electric cars, computer chips, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

“The countries that lead emerging technologies will be the countries that have a huge advantage in the future,” Reddick said.

To tell its story, Beijing has not been shy about using fake personas. A 2023 State Department report detailed the case of a published writer named Yi Fan, originally described as an analyst at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Yee turned journalist, then became an independent analyst.

Yee’s details changed, but the message did not. Through published comments and writings, Yi praised the close relations between China and Africa, praised Beijing’s approach to environmental sustainability, and said China must confront distorted Western narratives.

Then there was Wilson Edwards, the supposed Swiss virologist who was cited by Chinese media as an expert on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), who criticized the US response. But Swiss officials found no evidence of its existence.

“If you’re around, we’d love to meet you!” The Swiss Embassy in Beijing wrote on social media.

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AP writer Amelia Thompson Defoe contributed from Washington.

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