'Covert, Corrupt, and Coercive': Report Details Beijing's Bid to Establish New Global Media Order

The Chinese regime has been deploying "Covert, corrupt and coercive" means to weaponize Chinese-language and Western media in a campaign to impose its vision of current affairs on the rest of the world, a recent French military think tank report finds.

The values of tolerance that characterize Western democracies have afforded Beijing "Considerable freedom of movement," allowing it to multiply its foreign offices, recruit foreign journalists to adapt its messages to different audiences, infiltrate local press with gifts and other material benefits, while dispensing billions of advertising dollars on Western media to further expand its reach, the report said.

To some Xinhua reporters, Xi's coming to power had marked the beginning of a new era, in which the Chinese media "No longer need to be ashamed of being communist media," a Xinhua reporter told one of the report authors in 2018.

Chinese state media are active on all social media networks, with a sizable influence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram-all of which are blocked in China.

Not only does it help the Chinese media reach its target audience, it makes them appear more credible, and gives them financial leverage over their partner media.

Acquiring foreign media, training journalists, donating gifts and equipment, applying diplomatic pressure, using visa blackmail, leveling threats through phone calls are among some other tactics deployed by Beijing to reshape the media landscape overseas to bend to its will, according to the report.

The media group is 20 percent owned by two Chinese entities backed or controlled by Beijing.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/covert-corrupt-and-coercive-report-details-beijings-bid-to-establish-new-global-media-order_4029626.html