THE growing use of WeChat by both diaspora communities and non-Chinese speakers in countries like Malaysia has created a strong foundation for election meddling by Beijing, said think-tank Freedom House.

“The app’s design has already been criticised for its tendency to de-emphasise the source and credibility of information, aiding the spread of misinformation and making the fight against fake news even more difficult than it is on other social media platforms,” it said in its report, titled “Beijing’s Global Megaphone: The Expansion of CCP Media Influence since 2017”.

The report said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has expanded its efforts to shape news content around the world using three main strategies: promoting its own narrative through various forms of propaganda, suppressing critical viewpoints through direct and indirect censorship, and obtaining control over key content-delivery systems.

CCP is using Russian-style disinformation campaigns online, harassing local mainstream media, politicising content manipulation on Chinese-owned platforms and making explicit effort to present China as a model for other countries, it said.

“The party’s efforts under Xi Jinping have been remarkably effective in improving China’s image in key regions, but they have also fuelled a backlash, as journalists, policymakers, technology firms and civil society organisations around the world launch their own initiatives to increase transparency, diversify funding sources and protect press freedom.

“CCP’s global media influence campaigns target both overseas Chinese and non-Chinese audiences.

“They have traditionally been designed to accomplish three primary aims, which are evident from official statements, analyses of state media content and particular incidents involving CCP critics.”

While Chinese state media is breaking into new markets and expanding its language reach, it has also developed an aptitude for incorporating official views into local media, said the report.

“One successful method has been for top diplomats and officials to submit opinion articles or provide interviews to major foreign outlets.

“From 2014 to 2017, for instance, China’s ambassador to Argentina authored 14 op-eds and granted 10 interviews to local media, in addition to personally visiting local newsrooms eight times.” – January 16, 2020.