Daniel Wiser of the Washington Free Beacon details another disturbing development involving the communist Chinese government.
The Chinese government is escalating its efforts to disseminate propaganda abroad and influence foreign governments and populations, according to analysts who say the operations undermine free speech and expression globally.
In some cases, the Communist Party of China has succeeded in pressuring Western media and companies to remove content that Beijing considers to be sensitive and overly critical of the government. Chinese state-run radio, using opaque ownership structures to assume control of local stations abroad, has also expanded its presence in the United States and around the world to broadcast pro-government messages.
Sarah Cook, an expert on East Asia for Freedom House, wrote on Friday that the censorship and propaganda operations of President Xi Jinping’s government are “affecting an ever-broadening array of institutions and economic sectors overseas.”
“Since November 2012, when Xi took the helm of the [Communist Party] CCP, Freedom House’s China Media Bulletin has noted over 40 instances—in 17 countries and international institutions—of Chinese information controls negatively affecting free expression outside China,” she said. “These are likely only the tip of the iceberg. The CCP’s interventions and influences extend to a surprising range of media, including pop music, hot air balloons, and video games.”
Reuters reported in July that, according to emails released as part of the massive hacking attack against Sony, company executives had scrapped scenes from upcoming movies in order to placate Chinese censors and earn more profits in the country. And last year, Reader’s Digest was reported to have dropped the publication of a condensed novel due to concerns raised by a Chinese printing firm, among them that the work contained references to religious persecution in China.
Additionally, China is pursuing more subtle forms of influencing foreign content, such as substantial investments from Chinese production companies in English-language feature films.
