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

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

The Asian king of the Biden administration woke up one morning in 2022 and wrote a long article in the local press about the US running chemical and biological laboratories in Ukraine, a claim that Washington calls a blatant lie. Initiated by Russia, the false and exaggerated claim was vigorously promoted by China’s vast overseas propaganda resources.

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It was another example of “the ineffective intelligence of Russia and China,” Campbell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July.

Two years later, the claim is still active online, reflecting China’s massive effort to reshape world opinion. This campaign, which costs many billions a year, is becoming more and more complex thanks to artificial intelligence. China’s operations have drawn the attention of intelligence analysts and policymakers in Washington, who have vowed to fight any actions that could influence the November election or undermine American interests.

A key tactic: networks of websites called official news outlets, which deliver pro-China broadcasts often accompanied by official statements and positions from Beijing.

Shannon Van Sant, an adviser to the Freedom Committee at the Hong Kong Foundation, tracked down a network of dozens of sites posing as news organizations. Another site imitated the New York Times, using the same font and design in what it called an attempt at legitimacy. The site holds powerful Chinese messages.

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When Van Sant researched the site’s reporters, he found no information. Their names were not those of any well-known journalists working in China, and their photos bore the hallmarks of AI creation.

“Manipulating the media is ultimately manipulating readers and listeners, and this is damaging to democracy and society,” said Van Sant.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, said that allegations that China is using news websites and social media to spread pro-Beijing information and influence public opinion in the US “are full of malicious speculation about China, which China strongly opposes.” “

In addition to the country’s media, Beijing has turned to foreign actors – real or not – to convey messages and give credibility to stories in favor of the Communist Party, said Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. . Xiao is also the editor-in-chief of China Digital Times, a bilingual news website that covers information from or about China.

Beijing’s methods are extensive and connections with the government are often difficult to prove, Xiao said. But whether it is journalists with American names or an Indian lobbyist, Beijing’s persistent messages give them away.

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“The implicit message is the same – that the Chinese Communist Party serves its people,” Xiao said.

Analysts at the cyber security firm identified 1,200 websites that contained Russian or Chinese media content. The sites often target specific audiences and have names that sound like traditional news organizations or defunct newspapers.

Unlike Russia or Iran, which have shown clear preferences in the American presidential campaign, Beijing is very cautious and focused on spreading good content about China.

Although the sites are not of Chinese origin, they use Chinese content. When reasonably looking at content about the US election, 20% can be traced back to Chinese or Russian state media.

“There is a good chance that these articles can influence the US audience without them knowing where they are coming from,” said Alex Nelson, Logically’s senior manager for strategy and analysis.

According to the Gallup World Poll, most of the countries surveyed view the US favorably, but the share of countries in which the views of both the US and China are negative overall is higher than it was 15 years ago, indicating that the US does not appear to be gaining more. China.

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Some US officials want to increase spending even on playgrounds. The House of Representatives this month approved a bill that would authorize $325 million annually through 2027 to combat China’s global influence, including its disinformation campaign. The measure still needs 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, Democrat of New York.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the consolidation of Chinese affairs that will give his country a global voice “in line” with its international status.

Beijing has invested in state media such as the Xinhua news agency and China Central Television to convey its messages to a global audience in a variety of languages ​​and platforms. Media groups at the local level are creating “international contact centers” to build an overseas presence through websites, news channels and social media accounts.

Beijing also has relationships with the media around the world, and the article Campbell read on the Solomon Islands is likely a result of that.

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China’s reach is linked to a global race for economic dominance in electric cars, computer chips, AI and quantum computing, said Jaret Riddick, dean at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technologies.

“The countries that are at the forefront of emerging technology will be the countries that have the best opportunity to move forward,” said Riddick.

To tell its story, Beijing has not shied away from using fake people. A 2023 State Department report details the case of a published author named Yi Fan, who was initially described as an analyst for China’s foreign ministry. Yi turned into a reporter, then a freelance analyst.

Yi’s details have changed, but the message has not. Through published comments and writings, Yi has advocated for closer ties between China and Africa, praised Beijing’s approach to environmental sustainability and said that China must confront the West’s biased agenda.

Then there’s Wilson Edwards, a supposed Swiss doctor cited in Chinese media as a COVID-19 expert who criticized America’s response. But Swiss officials found no evidence of his existence.

“If you are there, we would like to meet you!” The Swiss embassy in Beijing wrote on social media.

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AP writer Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed from Washington.

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