China's increasingly assertive influence efforts are extending into the realm of media, with a US think tank saying attempts to promote favourable coverage - and suppress criticism - are on the rise around the world
The Chinese government is ramping up its use of “sophisticated and coercive tactics” to try and shape media coverage of its actions in countries around the world, according to a new report.
However, the report has also concluded the CCP’s efforts are reaping mixed results, with a growing awareness of Beijing’s efforts and work to “detect, expose, and resist certain forms of influence”.
Non-profit United States think tank Freedom House last week released a report assessing China’s global media influence efforts in 30 different countries between 2019 and 2021.
Looking at both the promotion of pro-CCP narratives and attempts to discredit or suppress critical coverage, Freedom House designated the intensity of influence efforts as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ in over half of the nations - with the Chinese regime’s work increasing in 18 of the countries.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its proxies are using more sophisticated and coercive tactics to shape media narratives and suppress critical reporting,” the report said,
“Mass distribution of Beijing-backed content via mainstream media, harassment and intimidation of outlets that publish news or opinions disfavored by the Chinese government, and the use of cyberbullying, fake social media accounts, and targeted disinformation campaigns are among the tactics that have been employed more widely since 2019.”
Taiwan was measured as facing the most intense CCP influence efforts, followed by the United States, although both also had the highest levels of safeguards against interference.
“The suppression of independent reporting about China-related topics, including through reprisals against outlets that already struggle to survive in a competitive and financially unstable industry, also has the effect of obstructing public and elite understanding of China itself, its ruling party, and its globally active corporations." - Freedom House
In every country assessed for the report, Chinese diplomats or state media outlets had “openly promoted falsehoods or misleading content to news consumers” on topics including the origins of Covid-19 and the efficacy of certain vaccines, as well as pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
“Moreover, there was a concerted effort to whitewash and deny the human rights atrocities and violations of international law being committed against members of ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”
Freedom House cited content-sharing agreements and other media partnerships as an area of growing effort, with content from Beijing-backed entities found in over 130 news outlets across the 30 countries surveyed.
Twenty-four countries had experienced more aggressive activities such as targeted intimidation of individual reporters or cyberattacks against news outlets, while 15 had faced pressure to retract or delete unfavourable content; in August last year, the Chinese embassy in Kuwait forced the Arab Times to delete from its website an interview with Taiwan’s foreign minister, replacing it with a statement from the embassy itself.
In nine countries, there had been at least one targeted disinformation campaign using fake accounts to “spread falsehoods or sow confusion”.
Despite these efforts, the report said Chinese state narratives did not dominate coverage of China in most countries, with media outlets continuing to publish news stories with critical content.
However, Beijing had established dominance over Chinese-language media in a number of countries, while journalists and commentators in 18 countries had reportedly engaged in self-censorship or more cautious reporting due to potential retaliation.
“The suppression of independent reporting about China-related topics, including through reprisals against outlets that already struggle to survive in a competitive and financially unstable industry, also has the effect of obstructing public and elite understanding of China itself, its ruling party, and its globally active corporations,” the report said.
Freedom House also expressed concerns about the response to Chinese influence efforts in some countries, saying local political leaders or prominent media personalities in 13 countries “appeared to distort legitimate concerns about Beijing’s influence in a manner that fueled xenophobic, anti-Chinese sentiment”.
“This seemingly contributed to hate crimes or unsubstantiated accusations of spying for members of the Chinese diaspora in eight countries.”
Previous concerns about NZ media
Among the report’s recommendations are that media outlets increase investigating reporting on bilateral relations with China and discontinue content-sharing partnerships with Chinese state entities, and that governments establish task forces to respond to potential influence campaigns.
“Governments should resist heavy-handed actions that limit access to information or otherwise conflict with human rights principles, instead forging partnerships with civil society and the media to ensure that all legislative and policy responses strengthen rather than weaken democratic institutions.”
While New Zealand was not among the countries surveyed in the report, concerns have been raised in the past about reporting in Aotearoa on issues related to China.
Last year, Newsroom reported on the terms of service at NZ-Chinese outlet Skykiwi which could expose New Zealanders to Chinese state surveillance, while in 2019 experts said the Chinese NZ Herald’s structure meant it was effectively under the control of the CCP.
Last month, the University of Otago’s student magazine Critic reported the Otago Daily Times was running paid content from the CCP-controlled People’s Daily, while in 2020 the Christchurch Star published ads from the Chinese consulate in support of the controversial Hong Kong security law and “counter-terrorism” efforts in Xinjiang.
At the launch event for the Freedom House report, Columbia University political science professor Dr Andrew Nathan credited the ‘Magic Weapons’ paper from University of Canterbury academic Anne-Marie Brady as having drawn attention to the CCP’s overseas influence activities.
