US accuses China of influencing global information environment

The United States released a report on Thursday (Sep 28) that underlines China's alleged attempt to reshape the global information environment in order to alter the will of many nations to Beijing's advantage. 

The latest assessment from the US officials published in a report by the State Department's Global Engagement Center accused Beijing of employing a variety of strategies in an effort to establish a world in which Beijing controls the flow of essential information - officially or indirectly. 

The report titled - Global Engagement Center Special Report: How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment - said: "Beijing's information manipulation spans the use of propaganda, disinformation, and censorship." 

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The report further said, "Unchecked, the PRC's efforts will reshape the global information landscape, creating biases and gaps that could even lead nations to make decisions that subordinate their economic and security interests to Beijing's." 

Well, this is not the first time the US has levelled such accusations related to manipulating the information environment. 

During the early days of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the West accused China of spreading disinformation on social media platforms about the origins of the virus, which still is a mystery. 

Not just Covid, the West claims that Beijing also often comes up with campaigns to push agendas over issues such as Xinjiang, the South China Sea, and Taiwan. 

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The report said that Beijing seeks to maximise the reach of "biased or false pro-PRC content". According to the report, China has apparently acquired stakes in foreign media through public and non-public means and sponsored online influencers. 

"Beijing has also secured sometimes restrictive content sharing agreements with local outlets that can result in trusted mastheads providing legitimacy to unlabeled or obscured PRC content," the report noted. 

Weighing in on the future impact, the report that China's global information manipulation is not simply a matter of public diplomacy, but a challenge to the integrity of the global information space. 

The report said that unchecked Beijing's efforts could result in a future in which "technology exported by China, coopted local governments, and fear of Beijing's direct retaliation produce a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression". 

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