CCP and Russia join forces to dominate social media, Challenging the West

It was reported on April 7 that a report released by Taiwan-based Doublethink Lab states that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has continued to spread false information in Communist China through different channels. The CCP and Moscow have joined forces to dominate public opinion, resulting in the general public’s pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiment in Communist China.

The report notes that the CCP and Russian state media have signed a cooperation agreement since 2015 so that the content of Russia’s extensive foreign propaganda was amplified and propagated on the CCP’s social media platforms. The CCP’s official media quickly quoted its Russian counterpart’s claim that the Ukrainian government is a Nazi-led government. The narrative of foreign forces interfering in China’s internal affairs dominated the public opinion in Communist China, sparking public resentment against the Ukrainian government and its military and further supporting the Russian military invasion.

According to Maria Repnikova, an assistant professor of global communications at Georgia State University, says that even though there are critical messages on the CCP’s social media, they are often quickly censored. Most of the pro-Russian voices she sees on the CCP social media often challenge the United States, the West, and NATO’s legitimacy.