US report alleges China spending billions on foreign information manipulation

China is spending billions of dollars annually on foreign information manipulation efforts including through China-Pakistan Media Corridor and Beijing uses false or biased information to promote positive views of the country and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) alleged a newly released US State Department Report.

At the same time, China suppresses critical information that contradicts its desired narratives on issues such as Taiwan, its human rights practices, the South China Sea, its domestic economy, and international economic engagement, alleged the report titled ‘How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment.’

“More broadly, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) seeks to cultivate and uphold a global incentive structure that encourages foreign governments, elites, journalists, and civil society to accept its preferred narratives and avoid criticizing its conduct,” the State Department report claimed.


In India’s neighbourhood, Beijing has sought to deepen cooperation on “combating disinformation,” including under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Media Forum, the report alleged. Beijing and Islamabad use the Media Forum to address what they view as propaganda and “malicious disinformation” and have launched initiatives like the “CPEC Rapid Response Information Network” and, most recently, pledged to launch the China-Pakistan Media Corridor (CPMC).

Referring to future impact of China’s strategy, the report claimed, “The PRC’s global information manipulation is not simply a matter of public diplomacy – but a challenge to the integrity of the global information space. Unchecked, Beijing’s efforts could result in a future in which technology exported by the PRC, coopted local governments, and fear of Beijing’s direct retaliation produce a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression. Beijing would play a significant – and often hidden – role in determining the print and digital content that audiences in developing countries consume.”

Beijing seeks to bend multilateral fora and bilateral relationships into tools for amplifying its desired narratives. At the same time, the PRC is leveraging both as vehicles for culling the international information environment of views and perspectives that challenge its own, the report alleged.