Washington: China has developed a web of international operations to have a say over media narratives and seeks to gain significant control over the Pakistani media, an official US report has said.
In addition to working closely with Russia in the information space, China has attempted to enlist other close partners to counter unfavourable narratives, the US State Department said in a report released last week. Prominent among them is Pakistan, it said.
“With Pakistan, Beijing has sought to deepen cooperation on ‘combating disinformation’, including under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Media Forum,” said the report.
Beijing and Islamabad use the Media Forum to address what they view as propaganda and “malicious disinformation” and have launched initiatives like the “CPEC Rapid Response Information Network” and, most recently, pledged to launch the China-Pakistan Media Corridor (CPMC), it said.
According to the State Department report in 2021, China sought to negotiate significant control over Pakistani media as part of the China-Pakistan Media Corridor, including establishing a jointly operated “nerve center” to monitor and shape Pakistan’s information environment.
In its report, the State Department alleged that China spends billions of dollars annually on foreign information manipulation efforts. Beijing uses false or biased information to promote positive views of China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
At the same time, China suppresses critical information that contradicts its desired narratives on issues such as Taiwan, its human rights practices, the South China Sea, its domestic economy, and international economic engagement, it said.
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