TT
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is intensifying its efforts to enhance China’s global influence. It aims to shape international perceptions of China to make these align with its interests.
These efforts in foreign propaganda target two main groups: communities with ties to China through their heritage, ethnicity or language, so called Overseas Chinese, and foreigners without these ties. They aim to mitigate hostility towards the regime and enhance loyalty to the CCP among overseas Chinese, while also disseminating positive narratives regarding the CCP’s achievements to non-Chinese foreigners. This means that the CCP politically prioritizes information control and propaganda initiatives. The CCP views it as necessary to provide guidance of public opinion, because not doing so would be a risk to China’s national security and political stability. In this respect, news media abroad plays a pivotal role in the CCP’s efforts to influence public opinion beyond China’s borders.
This overview will analyse into the CCP’s interactions with news media in Sweden. It focuses on the following aspects: Chinese-language diaspora media, expelled Chinese journalists, as well as the CCP’s engagement with both traditional and alternative media channels. Understanding these dynamics is important for safeguarding media independence, upholding democratic values, and fostering a well-informed public discourse on the CCP’s efforts to influence global issues.
