Pro-China Agents Disguised as Local Citizens to Protest

In a new report, cybersecurity researchers say that agents supporting the Communist China disguised themselves as local residents on social media in an attempt to spark protests against the development of rare earth mines in the United States and Canada in order to give the Communist China, the largest producer of rare earths, a competitive advantage.

Supporting the political interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on numerous social media platforms, websites, and forums since 2019, the fake accounts claimed on Facebook to be linked to local residents and environmentalists in order to organize protests at the Texas plant of Australian mining company Lynas Rare Earths Ltd.

These fake accounts claim that the exploitation of rare earths triggers irreversible environmental damage and radioactive contamination that can cause cancer and malformations in newborns. They also criticized President Biden’s plan to accelerate the extraction of these rare minerals.

Rare earths are critical to the manufacture of cell phones and other electronics. The Communist China has used its dominant position in the rare earths market to threaten the United States with an export ban. The Pentagon has said it is stepping up domestic production.

These fake accounts also criticize the new mine in Saskatchewan of Apia Rare Earths and Uranium Canada.