Chinese propaganda is surprisingly effective abroad

“Experts laud merits of China’s democracy,” read a headline in one of China’s state-owned newspapers last year. “War-addicted West must stop dreaming of global domination by force,” went another. The propaganda churned out by the Communist Party isn’t very subtle—or accurate (China does not hold many elections and it tacitly backs Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine). But when directed at foreigners, China’s messaging is surprisingly effective, suggests a new study by political scientists at Harvard, Yale and the University of Groningen (in the Netherlands).

The authors surveyed around 6,000 citizens of 19 countries. Participants were split into four groups. The first was shown Chinese propaganda, the second was shown messaging from the American government, the third got a bit of both and the fourth was a placebo group. Before and after watching, participants were asked about the economic and political models of America and China.

Support for the China model increased substantially among those who watched Chinese state media. By the end of the study, a majority of people who viewed such messages said they preferred China’s form of government to America’s. The American propaganda had an impact, too, but less of one. In the group that watched videos from both countries, people moved towards China.

The Chinese videos do not seem to have convinced people that the country is democratic. But they strengthened perceptions that the Communist Party delivers growth, stability and competent leadership. In “an era of democratic backsliding”, audiences put considerable weight on these factors when assessing political systems, say the researchers. The study was carried out before a recent wave of covid-19 killed hundreds of thousands of people in China.

According to estimates, President Xi Jinping gives his propagandists $7bn-10bn per year to “tell China’s story well”. A big part of this effort is China Global Television Network (CGTN), the state media company behind the videos used in the study. It has dozens of foreign bureaus broadcasting in five languages.

The study showed that the CGTN videos were particularly persuasive among audiences in Africa and South America—two places where China’s state-media efforts are being ramped up. According to annual surveys by YouGov, a British pollster, and the University of Cambridge, there is increasing support for China in countries such as Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Mexico.

The opposite is true in Britain, France, Germany and America, where it is easy to dismiss Chinese propaganda. Last year Xinhua, China’s state news agency, produced a James Bond spoof video mocking Britain’s spy agency, MI6. Thanks for the “free publicity”, replied the MI6 chief in London. But China’s intended message seems to be resonating elsewhere.■

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