Trump Supporters Just Handed a Huge Propaganda Victory to China

[Zhong Lu + 845]

"The US government cannot even protect its capitol.  How do you expect it to protect you? It's obvious the US is in decline."

What China will now say or imply to every country in its neighborhood.  Pretty sure the media there is already planning to spin a version of that story for the domestic audience for the next several years.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Zhong Lu

[Tomasz + 1,608]

Well I know this is from RT but thats good summary how Chinese people and other nations might see it.

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/511780-us-capitol-chaos-china/

Quote

 

Events in Washington will have repercussions around the world, not least in Beijing where China’s leaders can paint the country as a bastion of stability compared to the basket case that America has become.

The world has been left utterly aghast at the scenes from the United States Capitol building on Wednesday night, as a mob of President Trump’s supporters invaded and caused chaos, leaving four dead.

Although the election result was still certified as scheduled, the events have sent shockwaves through America’s political system and illustrate the bitter divides and resentments at hand. Joe Biden will become president on January 20, but the ill-feeling and discontent are bound to linger much longer.

In the meantime, what is the view from Beijing? This catastrophe comes as the Trump administration has, in its dying days, sought to dramatically escalate tensions against it by taking aim at more leading Chinese companies.

The White House wants its ultimate legacy to be a state of geopolitical confrontation with China akin to a new cold war. But is Beijing worried? Not likely. Despite everything Trump has attempted to do, people are more likely to consider that the scenes on Capitol Hill and the chaos which the president has created are an absolute gift to Xi Jinping.

Seeing America’s plight, in both the pandemic and politics, has in fact increasingly emboldened China’s own confidence in its system of governance, and it can hardly feel inferior to America anymore.

“We stand with the people of China” was the message from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Pompeo on many occasions last year. In saying this, he radiated the typical American assumption that everyone in the world is desperate to embrace liberal democracy in the way the US has, and that the people of China must instinctively despise Communist Party rule.

Therefore, in confronting Beijing, Pompeo assumes that he is acting in the true interests of the country’s population, because what America has to offer is intrinsically better. This is an ideological assumption that places too much emphasis on democracy, and cannot comprehend a reality whereby Communist Party rule in China may actually have legitimacy, and popularity. In his mind, it is simply not possible.

Yet, in reality, that is in fact the case. A recent study from Harvard University put approval rating for China’s government at over 95 percent. In addition to that, the Chinese population are unlikely to see the US as a role model or a country to emulate politically, but as a basket case, with the actions of Trump only serving to reinforce these perceptions and the belief that liberal democratic systems are increasingly unreliable.

America’s response to Covid-19 has also hammered this home. Although the US has aggressively and repeatedly blamed China for the global pandemic, Beijing has successfully overcome Covid-19 and returned to full scale economic growth, while Trump’s own response has been an unprecedented disaster.

China sees how more than 350,000 people in America have died, with up to 4,000 more new deaths and over 200,000 new cases every day. Whilst Beijing’s tough lockdowns and extreme testing regimes have upheld normality, they see the US in a state of depravity.

But that is not all. In Beijing’s eyes, the general erratic nature of the Trump administration and the consequences of that – encapsulated by the storming of the Capitol building – reveal a political system that is increasingly divided and unstable. Trump’s repeated claims of electoral fraud have damaged the legitimacy of the US political order itself and created unrest.

China looks at this and sees its own country as a bastion of stability in a whirlwind of global chaos. The people look toward the Communist Party’s position that political stability is a greater premise for prosperity than unfettered political liberty, and subsequently feel as if they have the upper hand.

In times gone by, America – in the opinion of many Chinese –  was a country to be admired and to look up to. Those days are long gone. The US has increasingly depicted itself as an adversary to China and decried its achievements, but also the successes it once prided itself on have increasingly been replaced by failures.

What we see now in Washington is a bonanza for China, and has implications for the wider world. The legacy of the Trump administration and these events incite fear and doubt into US allies, who see America as increasingly unreliable and unpredictable rather than the beating heart of a democratic world order it once oversaw.

Even though Biden may represent a return to normality at the White House, the scars will run deep and the increasingly toxic social and political divides which Trump exacerbated will not go away.

This saga isn’t over yet, and in line with that Beijing will be able to preach much more confidently that its system of government is able to yield better results. For both Xi Jinping and the ordinary people of the country itself, it only serves to embolden their confidence as the world tries to rebound from a dismal 2020.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by Tomasz

[Tomasz + 1,608]

Julian Rimmer summary 

[frankfurter + 562]

The storming of the Capitol is not propaganda, it is fact. China, or anybody else, needs only to reiterate the facts, for the facts prove much.

Here is a fact I have yet to see in your MSM... when the protestors in Hong Kong stormed the legistature, they were called fighters for democracy, and EVERYONE at OilPrice cheered them and condemned China: yet NO protestor died at the hands of the police or any Chinese troops.

BUT, when Americans protest and ransack your Capitol, in the name of democracy, you call them thugs and cheer your police for killing an unarmed woman.

The facts prove how vile are Americans.

 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

On 1/9/2021 at 8:20 AM, frankfurter said:

The facts prove how vile are Americans.

Well now, at least everybody knows what you think of Americans.  Jolly good, old chap. 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

Nice to see that Selvedina is following me around.  What is this, two minutes flat? Impressive.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

3 minutes ago, Jan van Eck said:

On 1/9/2021 at 8:20 PM, frankfurter said:

The facts prove how vile are Americans.

Well now, at least everybody knows what you think of Americans.  Jolly good, old chap. 

Well, here is ONE MORE case of Franky baiting and berating, in this case ALL Americans.  But @Selva would tend to....what?  React against a commenter who baits and writes off as vile an entire nation of the most diverse population on earth?  Or against you, for acknowledging that Franky is such a hater and that that is good to know?

@Selva??

[Selva + 252]

@Dan Warnick,

I missed this one. I'll take care of it. 

Nice to see old members stopping by just to greet me. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,555]

Interesting objectivity, then again there are forces that are beyond quantifying.

Those origins lies in biblical lore of old. As so many other myths...He'll has no Wrath seems to resonate here..

And so it goes: "Such is life" plays well in such matters... 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open

[Tomasz + 1,608]

Quote

How could something like this happen in Washington? It was assumed that, despite all its social and political problems that have worsened in recent years, America was different and far more robust than we are now seeing.

A habit of being special

The rule of thumb was, ‘there is America and there are others’. With the others, shortcomings are natural and to be expected, even if many of them are well-established democracies. But America is a different story, because by default, the US is a role model that was supposed to remain the democratic icon forever. 

Exceptionalism is foundational for America’s political culture. This type of self-identification was the cornerstone on which the nation and society were built a couple of hundred years ago. That’s how Americans are raised. And you will run into this phenomenon everywhere.

When asking his supporters gathered by the Capitol building to go home, President Donald Trump said, “You are special.” People from the more liberal political camp have even deeper convictions about the US being exceptional and therefore under an obligation to bring light into the world, as they see it.

That’s why everybody is shocked – how could this have happened? The reaction was followed by a wave of explanations as to why the clashes near and inside the Capitol building only looked like similar events in other countries, but in reality, they were something entirely different. Here is a comment from the CNN website, “Sure there are superficial similarities... but what’s happening in America is uniquely American. It is that country’s monster.”

Such restlessness is understandable. If we look at exceptionalism in the context of the world order that we’ve had in recent decades, we see that after the end of the Cold War, the US has held the unique position of the sole global hegemon. No other power in world history has ever reached this level of dominance.

Besides massive military and economic resources, America’s exceptionalism has also been relying on the idea that this nation sets the tone for the global worldview. This authorized America to certify systems of government in other countries and exert influence in situations that it believed required certain adjustments. As we all know, this influence took different forms, including direct military intervention.

We are not going to list the pros and cons of such a world order in this article. What’s important is that one of the key aspects of this order is the belief in the infallibility of the global leader. That’s why American commentators and experts are so worried about the Capitol Building events and Trump’s presidency in general hurting the international status of the US.

Boomerang effect

Generally speaking, post-election turmoil is not a rare occurrence. After all, the US itself has encouraged the new political tradition that has emerged in the 21st century. In recent times, in certain places, election campaigns haven’t ended after the votes were counted and the winner is announced. Instead, Washington often encouraged the losing side to at least try to challenge the results by taking to the streets. Indeed, resistance was part of the US Declaration of Independence after all.

Western capitals consistently emphasized the legitimacy of such actions in situations when people believed that their votes had been ‘stolen’. Washington was usually the lead voice in these declarations. Granted, this mostly applied to immature democracies with unstable institutions, but where are all those unshakable, solid democratic countries today? The world is experiencing so much instability that nobody is exempt from major shocks and crises.

Information overload

There is another reason why traditional institutions are losing their footing. They were effective in a solidified informational environment. The sources of information were either controlled or perceived as trustworthy by the majority.

Today there are problems with both. Technological advances boost transparency, but they also create multiple realities and countless opportunities for manipulation. Institutions must be above reproach if they are to survive in the new conditions. It would be wrong to say that they are all crumbling. They are, however, experiencing tremendous pressure, and we can’t expect them to be perfect. 

Looking for a scapegoat

The US is not better or worse at facing the new challenges. Or, rather, it is better in some areas and worse in others. This would all be very normal if America’s exceptionalism didn’t always need affirmation.

Situations in which the US appears to be just like any other country, albeit with some unique characteristics, are a shock to the system. In order to stay special, America looks where to place the blame. Ideally, the guilty party should be someone acting in the interests of an outside power, someone un-American.

This mechanism is not unknown to Russians from the experience in our country – for a long time now, Russian elites have been keen to blame outsiders for their own failures. But America’s motivation today is even stronger; there is more passion, because simply covering up the failures is no longer enough – America wants to prove that it is still perfect.

Democrats are taking back the American political landscape. For the next two years (until the 2022 mid-term elections), they will have all the power – in the White House and Congress. Trump’s supporters have seriously scared the ruling class, and the Capitol building debacle during the last days of his presidency has created a perfect pretext for cleaning house. Big Tech companies are at their disposal (so far).

Internal targets

Target number one is Trump himself. They want to make an example out of him, so that others wouldn’t dare challenge the sanctity of the political establishment. But Trump will not be enough, something must be done about his numerous supporters. The awkward finale of his presidency opens the door for labeling his fans as enemies of the republic and democracy.

The Democrats will do everything within their power to demoralize their earnest opponents. This won’t be hard, since the Republican Party itself is a hot mess right now. Trump has alienated almost all his supporters from the party leadership, but he is still popular among regular voters.

Demonstrative restoration of order and democratic fundamentals will also be used to reclaim the role model status. The reasoning is clear – we successfully neutralized the terrible external and internal threats to our democracy, so now we have regained the right to show the world how one should deal with the enemies of said democracy. The ‘summit of democracies’ idea proposed by Joseph Biden is starting to look like an emergency meeting for closing the ranks in a fight against enemies of progress.

Foreign targets

And this brings us back to the foreign policy issue, because it’s not difficult to predict who will be enemy number one. Putin as an almighty puppeteer of all undemocratic forces in the world (including Trump) has been part of the rhetoric for a few years now. Hillary Clinton said it when giving a campaign speech in Nevada in August 2016, and Nancy Pelosi echoed the sentiment after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building. Of course, China is a close second on the enemy list created by the Democratic leadership, but there are some economic restraints there.

America’s inevitable strife to reclaim its exceptionalism will clash with the current tendencies in global development. All aspects of international affairs, from economy to security, to ideology and ethics, are diversifying. Attempts to divide the world along the old democracy vs. autocracy lines, i.e. go back to the agenda prevalent at the end of the 20th to the beginning of the 21st century, are doomed, because this is not the way the world is structured now.

But attempts will be made nevertheless, and we can’t rule out some aggressive ‘democracy promotion’. Even if it’s just to prove that the embarrassing Trump episode was nothing more than an unfortunate accident. This, by the way, could become a short-term unifying factor for the diverse members of the Democratic Party, some of whom represent the old generation, while others are energetic young proponents of left-wing politics.

We can conclude that the world will not really benefit from the new presidency, even if respected foreign policy professionals return to the White House now that Trump is leaving. It might stabilize America’s frenzy in international affairs that we are all used to by now, but a new wave of ideology will neutralize the potential advantage (if it even existed, which is debatable).

America’s resolve to prove to the world that it’s not like others will encounter the large-scale ‘material resistance’, which will make a dangerous situation even worse. At least with Trump we knew that he didn’t like wars, and he didn’t start any new ones. Biden’s credit history is very different.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Tomasz

[0R0 + 6,251]

On 1/7/2021 at 4:37 PM, Tomasz said:

Yet, in reality, that is in fact the case. A recent study from Harvard University put approval rating for China’s government at over 95 percent. In addition to that, the Chinese population are unlikely to see the US as a role model or a country to emulate politically, but as a basket case, with the actions of Trump only serving to reinforce these perceptions and the belief that liberal democratic systems are increasingly unreliable.

 

That is an invalid study because of the Chinese practice of hiding your view of the CCP. They do not answer questions truthfully. Chinese people on the street and more so on the phone or electronic communication will never utter a word against the CCP. That said, the decades of indoctrination do condition the mind and the daily acts of obeisance to the CCP do take their toll. Even political exiles from the Soviet Union report crying when they learned of Stalin's death. It is not easy to shake off the conditioning even after years outside the system. 

 

[frankfurter + 562]

11 hours ago, 0R0 said:

That is an invalid study because of the Chinese practice of hiding your view of the CCP. They do not answer questions truthfully. Chinese people on the street and more so on the phone or electronic communication will never utter a word against the CCP. That said, the decades of indoctrination do condition the mind and the daily acts of obeisance to the CCP do take their toll. Even political exiles from the Soviet Union report crying when they learned of Stalin's death. It is not easy to shake off the conditioning even after years outside the system. 

 

And,,, your comments are invalid, because clearly you have never resided in China, and you see the country through your own indoctrinated lens.  Your entire attitude is that of other Americans; it's them and us, and very self-righteously so. You attempt to invalidate each and every positive statement respecting China, regardless of source such as your countrymen.  Post after post, you condemn the Chinese government, despite the factual record of taming the covid, lifting 400mm out of poverty, reclaiming thousands of acres of damaged lands, raising the standard of living at a rate unprecedented in history, scientific advancements in leaps and bounds, and very much more.  Your countryman said it best some 60 years ago: there is none so blind as he who will not see.

[Zak Pol + 14]

On 1/7/2021 at 2:37 PM, Tomasz said:

Yet, in reality, that is in fact the case. A recent study from Harvard University put approval rating for China’s government at over 95 percent. In addition to that, the Chinese population are unlikely to see the US as a role model or a country to emulate politically, but as a basket case, with the actions of Trump only serving to reinforce these perceptions and the belief that liberal democratic systems are increasingly unreliable.

Your long diatribe is just hard to read for a normal American, because quoting such source like Harvard about Chinese Gov. is an insult.

It takes a real commie to write such a diatribe. Did you graduate from this "famous" Warsaw University,  that is best known as a red commies mining University for generations?  Statistics, that you are quoting come from Harvard are of the same value, as it would be from your Warsaw University. 95% of Chinese gov. support seems like a very persuasive number, but as the old phrase goes these are "lies, damned lies and statistics". I am sure, if you/they studied support of North Korea Gov, you would get for sure 100% approval rating. How about old Soviet Union, Iran, Venezuela? I remember, when growing up in Poland the old Commies Government there in the 50's, 60's, and 70's used to have 99% support. These are all lies, damned lies and statistics. It's meaningless. The question is, why people of great many countries around the world dream about living in America by any means legal, or illegal. I know, why I did. Freedom and opportunities. However, I don't know about you. Although America has changed a lot in the last 40 years, but it is still one of the best countries to live. The biggest treat to America is the political elite of both parties, and the big business elite, military industrial complex, MSM, that created this self serving closed LOOP. They just feed, and live of each other creating SWAMP. This is why President Trump lost, because he wanted to break this closed loop. He wanted an average citizen to have a piece of the pie, good jobs, good education, borders protection and security, family unit protection, stop the endless wars. The Biden admin is the single biggest treat to all, what America stood for generations. They are globalists, internationalists, and they will try to remake the America towards the liking of global communist elite like Soros, Rockefeller, Koch, Gates, Twitter, Google, Facebook, China, EU. Freedom of speech is the first to be very restricted. Blocking President of USA Twitter account, or Facebook account is only possible in America. Imagine this happening in Russia, or China. Anyway, the 80 mln people who voted for President Trump, who won the election by the landslide, will not be denied. Biden admin have their work cut out for them. They cannot cancel all of us.

[Rob Plant + 2,756]

On 1/9/2021 at 1:20 PM, frankfurter said:

The facts prove how vile are Americans.

@frankfurter your xenophobic views know no bounds!

Do you personally know all 330million Americans?

A truly ill informed, inflammatory and down right stupid comment if ever there was one, and I'm not American!

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

1 hour ago, Zak Pol said:

Your long diatribe is just hard to read for a normal American, because quoting such source like Harvard about Chinese Gov. is an insult.

It takes a real commie to write such a diatribe. Did you graduate from this "famous" Warsaw University,  that is best known as a red commies mining University for generations?  Statistics, that you are quoting come from Harvard are of the same value, as it would be from your Warsaw University. 95% of Chinese gov. support seems like a very persuasive number, but as the old phrase goes these are "lies, damned lies and statistics". I am sure, if you/they studied support of North Korea Gov, you would get for sure 100% approval rating. How about old Soviet Union, Iran, Venezuela? I remember, when growing up in Poland the old Commies Government there in the 50's, 60's, and 70's used to have 99% support. These are all lies, damned lies and statistics. It's meaningless. The question is, why people of great many countries around the world dream about living in America by any means legal, or illegal. I know, why I did. Freedom and opportunities. However, I don't know about you. Although America has changed a lot in the last 40 years, but it is still one of the best countries to live. The biggest treat to America is the political elite of both parties, and the big business elite, military industrial complex, MSM, that created this self serving closed LOOP. They just feed, and live of each other creating SWAMP. This is why President Trump lost, because he wanted to break this closed loop. He wanted an average citizen to have a piece of the pie, good jobs, good education, borders protection and security, family unit protection, stop the endless wars. The Biden admin is the single biggest treat to all, what America stood for generations. They are globalists, internationalists, and they will try to remake the America towards the liking of global communist elite like Soros, Rockefeller, Koch, Gates, Twitter, Google, Facebook, China, EU. Freedom of speech is the first to be very restricted. Blocking President of USA Twitter account, or Facebook account is only possible in America. Imagine this happening in Russia, or China. Anyway, the 80 mln people who voted for President Trump, who won the election by the landslide, will not be denied. Biden admin have their work cut out for them. They cannot cancel all of us.

Hello @Zak Pol.  I haven't seen you around here before.  Welcome!  I appreciate your views as they offer one more perspective.  Thanks.

[LiamP + 168]

9 hours ago, frankfurter said:

And,,, your comments are invalid, because clearly you have never resided in China, and you see the country through your own indoctrinated lens.  Your entire attitude is that of other Americans; it's them and us, and very self-righteously so. You attempt to invalidate each and every positive statement respecting China, regardless of source such as your countrymen.  Post after post, you condemn the Chinese government, despite the factual record of taming the covid, lifting 400mm out of poverty, reclaiming thousands of acres of damaged lands, raising the standard of living at a rate unprecedented in history, scientific advancements in leaps and bounds, and very much more.  Your countryman said it best some 60 years ago: there is none so blind as he who will not see.

Well, imagine what the Chinese people could have achieved without an oppressive government holding them back!

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

7 minutes ago, LiamP said:

Well, imagine what the Chinese people could have achieved without an oppressive government holding them back!

Not bad!  

[frankfurter + 562]

On 1/12/2021 at 1:02 AM, LiamP said:

Well, imagine what the Chinese people could have achieved without an oppressive government holding them back!

The Chinese govt has not held its people back, as you contend. Quite the opposite. In the past 20 years, the Chinese govt has poured colossal funds into scientific R&D, infrastructure, education, food production, manufacturing, medicine, energy. Repeat: 400 million people lifted out of poverty (whereas the US has increased poverty).  The Chinese enjoy now a standard of living comparable to the USA, and in many respects superior. This is not possible without a govt focused upon its people.

Your question should be this; imagine how prosperous China could be without the constant threats and sanctions by the USA.  Before uttering more ignorant comments and questions, you should study the history of US-China relations since 1900, and note key times in that history.  Such as the period the US occupied a part of China, as a colonial power. Such as how the US blockaded China after those evil communists won the civil war and turned China away from imperial and colonial powers into a republic. Such as why Nixon visited China: why Kissinger, the war criminal, preceded Nixon. Such as the extent and duration of US sanctions since 1945, and how these sanctions continue up to this day. Such as how those sanctions created the conditions for famine. etc, etc.  Such as how, despite all occupation, interference, threats, sanctions, the Chinese people have overcome the USA evil and prospered.

 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

1 hour ago, frankfurter said:

the period the US occupied a part of China, as a colonial power.

That is an interesting assertion!

Historically, the USA has distanced itself from China and the Chinese.  I would point you to the Exclusionary Laws that forbid the immigration of Chinese to the USA. Until WWII, the Americans distanced themselves from China, and came to the aid of the Chinese when they were invaded by the Japanese.  That aid included supplying guns, food, ammo, even railroad locomotives, to Chiang Kai Shek.  Nothing colonial about it.

After the War, the Americans saw to an orderly establishment of the government of an independent Philippines, and left the Chinese to sort out its own destiny.  It was only after Mao developed nuclear weapons - and invaded North Korea to go shoot up the US Army there - that an antipathy developed towards the Chinese Government. It was Nixon that extended the olive branch and granted China access to the US market, without which China would never have developed economically.  

You seem to have a distorted view of history, Frankie.

[frankfurter + 562]

1 hour ago, Jan van Eck said:

That is an interesting assertion!

Historically, the USA has distanced itself from China and the Chinese.  I would point you to the Exclusionary Laws that forbid the immigration of Chinese to the USA. Until WWII, the Americans distanced themselves from China, and came to the aid of the Chinese when they were invaded by the Japanese.  That aid included supplying guns, food, ammo, even railroad locomotives, to Chiang Kai Shek.  Nothing colonial about it.

After the War, the Americans saw to an orderly establishment of the government of an independent Philippines, and left the Chinese to sort out its own destiny.  It was only after Mao developed nuclear weapons - and invaded North Korea to go shoot up the US Army there - that an antipathy developed towards the Chinese Government. It was Nixon that extended the olive branch and granted China access to the US market, without which China would never have developed economically.  

You seem to have a distorted view of history, Frankie.

no, you have the distorted view. 

US did not come to the aid of China. The US provided very limited arms, not aid, to Chiang, for the sole purpose of establishing a second front for the US against the Japanese. At that time, China was divided. Chiang declared himself as ruler, but his support base was only those Chinese who were under Japan occupation. The other 90% of Chinese rejected Chiang. Thus Chiang's status was equivalent to a warlord, and the US recognised general Chiang as a possible puppet.  Later, after the civil war, the only way Chiang could retreat to Formosa was via US support and intervention. China never recognised Chiang's govt in Formosa, and has not to this day. The ONLY reason Taiwan exists quasi-autonomously is because of USA intervention, which no doubt you will call support.

You seem to be entirely ignorant of the embargoes and sanctions the USA has placed upon China since 1945 to this day.  Have you any idea why the Chinese currency was not accepted readily by other nations?  Hint: USA.  China suffered a great famine from 1959-1961. A significant reason was the currency restrictions placed by the USA, which prevented China from purchasing the tech and hardware she needed to modernise.  True, millions starved.  But during this time, Canada had bumper crops of wheat and other produce, which was left to rot in silos and fields. Canada did try to donate what it could not sell. But one country threatened Canada with sanctions, and prevented shipping carriers from transporting the grains: the USA. These are but a few of the hostilities, the tip of the iceberg, the USA has directed against China.

To say the USA has left China alone is entirely false. The USA has done everything short of an active war to interfere and contain China since 1945.

 

[Boat + 1,325]

On 1/6/2021 at 11:47 PM, Zhong Lu said:

"The US government cannot even protect its capitol.  How do you expect it to protect you? It's obvious the US is in decline."

What China will now say or imply to every country in its neighborhood.  Pretty sure the media there is already planning to spin a version of that story for the domestic audience for the next several years.

Who cares what China says. Any smart US president working with allies can decide just how trade China can have. It’s called leverage.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Beijing-Linked Group Tries to Sway US Media With Reporter Trips, Dinners With Execs

This is an interesting, although not surprising, article on the grooming of Western media by the CCP.  On the surface it sounds like a positive exchange-type program; but under the surface.......

(small Excerpt of the in-depth article)

A group tied to Beijing has organized trips to China for more than 120 journalists from almost 50 U.S. media outlets since 2009, as part of a broad campaign to deepen the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence in the United States.

Called the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), the group is a Hong Kong-based nonprofit headed by billionaire Tung Chee-hwa, a Chinese regime official. Tung was formerly the Chief Executive (top government leader) of Hong Kong and is currently a vice-chairman of the CCP’s political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. CUSEF is registered as a “foreign principal” under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

FARA filings reveal how the group has tried to sway media coverage and shape public opinion in the United States.

Alongside trips for journalists, the group has organized trips for current and former lawmakers, courted media executives from major publications via private dinners, and aimed to cultivate a group of “third party supporters” in the United States to generate positive opinion articles on China that would appear in Western media outlets.

The activities offer a glimpse into the CCP’s sprawling efforts to influence public perceptions and sway elite opinion in Western democracies, in an effort to persuade governments to adopt policies in tune with Beijing’s agenda. The goal of this campaign, dubbed “United Front work” by the Party, is to “make Americans receptive to Beijing’s form of authoritarianism,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech last October.

By targeting foreign news outlets, the regime hopes to limit negative media coverage of Beijing, while boosting favorable coverage, Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank Center for Security Policy, said in an email.

Positive stories—such as “how many shiny skyscrapers there are in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and how the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has been so successful in battling COVID-19, and how the Chinese economy has recovered nicely”—shape “both public and ‘official’ thinking in the U.S.—and ultimately shapes official (and business and financial) policy” towards China, Newsham said.

[frankfurter + 562]

23 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Beijing-Linked Group Tries to Sway US Media With Reporter Trips, Dinners With Execs

This is an interesting, although not surprising, article on the grooming of Western media by the CCP.  On the surface it sounds like a positive exchange-type program; but under the surface.......

(small Excerpt of the in-depth article)

A group tied to Beijing has organized trips to China for more than 120 journalists from almost 50 U.S. media outlets since 2009, as part of a broad campaign to deepen the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence in the United States.

Called the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), the group is a Hong Kong-based nonprofit headed by billionaire Tung Chee-hwa, a Chinese regime official. Tung was formerly the Chief Executive (top government leader) of Hong Kong and is currently a vice-chairman of the CCP’s political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. CUSEF is registered as a “foreign principal” under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

FARA filings reveal how the group has tried to sway media coverage and shape public opinion in the United States.

Alongside trips for journalists, the group has organized trips for current and former lawmakers, courted media executives from major publications via private dinners, and aimed to cultivate a group of “third party supporters” in the United States to generate positive opinion articles on China that would appear in Western media outlets.

The activities offer a glimpse into the CCP’s sprawling efforts to influence public perceptions and sway elite opinion in Western democracies, in an effort to persuade governments to adopt policies in tune with Beijing’s agenda. The goal of this campaign, dubbed “United Front work” by the Party, is to “make Americans receptive to Beijing’s form of authoritarianism,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech last October.

By targeting foreign news outlets, the regime hopes to limit negative media coverage of Beijing, while boosting favorable coverage, Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank Center for Security Policy, said in an email.

Positive stories—such as “how many shiny skyscrapers there are in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and how the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has been so successful in battling COVID-19, and how the Chinese economy has recovered nicely”—shape “both public and ‘official’ thinking in the U.S.—and ultimately shapes official (and business and financial) policy” towards China, Newsham said.

oh, those evil communists.  just look at what they are doing now. inviting journalists to visit China to see for themselves how modern China progresses.  just think of all the state secrets the communists can steal from journalists, not to mention all the high-tech IP.  oh the shock of it all.

[Geoff Guenther + 317]

27 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Alongside trips for journalists, the group has organized trips for current and former lawmakers, courted media executives from major publications via private dinners, and aimed to cultivate a group of “third party supporters” in the United States to generate positive opinion articles on China that would appear in Western media outlets.

I actually take this as a good sign. It means that CCP is concerned about its image abroad so it may be possible to shame it into doing the right thing.

It also shows the limited extent CCP has engaged in propaganda. They are focused on generating a positive image of China rather than manipulate votes to get people they approve of into power. If they tried to do that and got caught, they would likely turn into enemy #1 in the US overnight.

As far as becoming an enemy: while relations with China have become more adversarial, China is not viewed as an enemy by American, at least not yet. Today, the two countries act as semi-untrusted competitors. There are ways that the countries may always be at odds with, such as 5G and Taiwan. But there are also ways that both countries will want to cooperate on because it benefits both, such as NOx and CO2 emission standards.

[Wombat + 1,028]

On 1/8/2021 at 7:37 AM, Tomasz said:

Well I know this is from RT but thats good summary how Chinese people and other nations might see it.

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/511780-us-capitol-chaos-china/

 

HaHa Haha Haha, as though Tianmen Square never happened? A bastion of stability my arse! Why does CCP need 5 times as many policemen as army to create "bastion of stability"? Hahahahahahaha, are you a comedian?