[Epoch Times, May 3, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting) The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Monday (May 2) saying that government officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Communist Party of China (CCP), as well as state media And party media, often amplifying Russian propaganda, conspiracy theories and disinformation.
This amplified propaganda justifies Putin’s unwarranted and unprovoked war against Ukraine, while undermining trust in the United States and other countries, democratic institutions and independent media, the statement said.
The statement added that Chinese and Chinese media, as well as Chinese “Wolf Warrior” diplomats, used social media platforms to convey the Kremlin’s biased views to audiences in different languages around the world. Meanwhile, inside China, Chinese state-backed entities “censor credible reports of Russian atrocities in Ukraine” while “blaming NATO and the United States for Putin’s choice of brutal war.”
“The ‘pro-Russian neutrality’ of Chinese (CCP) officials eschews explicit public recognition or condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and (Russia’s) actions in Ukraine, and continues to insist that Beijing is a country that respects the ‘sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries’ Neutral stakeholders. However, Chinese and CCP media and officials further uncritically amplify Moscow’s message, demonstrating Beijing’s support for Russia.”
The U.S. State Department also detailed how the CCP amplifies Russian propaganda. The following is a summary of the State Department’s statement:
The CCP’s Toolbox to Sway Ukrainian Public Opinion
– Chinese and Chinese media provide unverified information and claims from Russian state-run media and officials. Russian state media, in turn, will cite Chinese and Chinese media, describing Russia’s position as widely supported.
– Chinese and CCP media actively report false Russian narratives, while heavily censoring and editing U.S. and other democracies officials and independent media, as well as criticism of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Russian military atrocities within China.
– Chinese Wolf Warrior diplomats push the Kremlin’s narrative by amplifying and retweeting content from fringe media, anti-NATO and anti-US influencers who align with Beijing’s narrative. These are often featured in Chinese, CCP and Kremlin propaganda.
Timeline for China to support Russia and pass the buck to the West
February 2022: China’s support for Russia before and during the Russian invasion
Just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Chinese and Chinese media and officials branded U.S. and other reports of an imminent Russian invasion a failed “fake news” campaign and “information terrorism” that is incompatible with Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova echoed previous statements.
Since then, Chinese and Chinese media and officials have apparently refused to call Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine a “war,” instead calling it a “crisis” or using the official Kremlin term “special military operation.” The word “aggression” is mainly used in “whataboutism” rhetoric, with the aim of deflecting anger on the West, NATO and the United States.
March 2022: Seriously amplifies Kremlin claims about US-sponsored biolabs
On March 8, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian began to amplify the (US) refuted false information of Russia’s allegations that the US sponsored a Ukrainian biological weapons laboratory, including directly amplifying the false information by Diliana Gaitanjiyeva ( Disinformation promoted by Dilyana Gaytandzhieva). Gaitanjieva is a freelance writer for the pro-Kremlin media South Front and News Front sanctioned by the United States.
These fabricated allegations are based on years of opportunistic messages from Russia and China. According to a GEC research partner, China’s amplification of disinformation surrounding a U.S. biological weapons laboratory in Ukraine ended up being one of the largest disinformation campaigns China has launched since 2018, spreading its message around the world. Targeted audiences across multiple languages.
April 2022: Denies Kremlin responsibility for Bucca atrocities
After Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes against civilians in Bucya, near Kyiv, Chinese authorities suppressed discussions on the topic at home, with officials demanding an investigation but not acknowledging those who overturned Russia’s denials evidence.
On April 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry claimed that “the video from Bucha is a provocation … staged by the regime in Kyiv”. In the days following the Russian statement, the Chinese government and party-backed media amplified Russian conspiracy theories that the U.S. and Ukraine may have fabricated evidence of atrocities, and even Chinese officials called on “all parties” not to “politicize” and “Unfounded accusations”.
April 2022: Blame the Kramatorsk bombing
On April 8, a Tochka-U ballistic missile struck the main railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, killing more than 50 people, including five children, and injuring hundreds, Chinese officials and State media refrained from reporting facts that suggested Russia was responsible for attacking civilian targets. Despite evidence that Russia has deployed the weapon before, Russia’s foreign ministry has denied responsibility for the attack, saying only Ukraine is known to have used the missile in question.
As with the Bucca incident, Chinese officials responded to the Kramatorsk bombing by calling for a full investigation and for “all parties” to avoid “politicization” and “baseless accusations.” Chinese media and the consul general in Osaka, Japan, Xue Jian, even retweeted a Russian conspiracy theory that Ukraine was responsible for the bombing of its own civilians in Kramatorsk.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#