A report from the National Pulse released within the past week reveals that China's state-run media is proudly boasting about the Chinese Communist Party's influence over western think tanks, media, and more.
The CCP's influence is so far-reaching that one has to think for themselves as to whether all that's happening in the U.S. government and internet has been influenced by communist principles or not. Why is this?
Critical connections
Per the National Pulse, "The Chinese Communist Party's Cyberspace Administration of China has boasted of one of the most critical connections between the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the groups and individuals campaigning to stop President Trump and his ' 'America First' agenda."
The "critical connection" refers to the CCP's links to the Berggruen Institute, which first became known months before the 2020 Presidential elections for the "Transition Integrity Project," or "TIP," which is known for its aggressive anti-Trump stance.
The TIP reportedly provided the Biden team with instructions or tips on how to seize the White House from then President Donald J. Trump, even in the event that he wins the Presidential election. It included "war-gaming" scenarios wherein Biden would not concede to a loss even if he did lose. The idea was that they'd push for a narrative where Trump didn't win, and that some states would secede in the event that Trump would again take office for another four years.
The Berggruen Institute isn't the only connection worth mentioning here. Per the National Pulse, a 2017 communique entitled "Holding High the Banner of Party Media and Fulfilling Its Duties and Missions" was unearthed in the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) website, and it reveals other connections as well as other things worth noting.
In the communique (via Google Translate), the CAC explained that "party media" -referring to state-run news outlet China Daily- attracted several think tanks such as the aforementioned Berggruen Institute in America, the Canadian Center for Global Governance and Innovation Research, and Australia's Roy Institute for International Policy.
The communique excitedly revealed that "we have attracted nearly 200 overseas think tanks as special commentators on China Daily. For one year published more than 300 of their signed review articles, allowing these 'influential people' to influence more overseas audiences and explain Chinese stories well."
The communique added that China Daily uses "international communication" to "implement the spirit of the important April 19th speech" by CCP leader Xi Jinping. This speech, the Pulse noted, discussed Xi's plans to "strengthen positive online propaganda" and "use the Socialist core value view."
In other words, the think tanks that contributed to China Daily played a key role in spreading the CCP's propaganda and promoting socialist core values to other nations.
Years after that speech, the CCP will continue to spread its propaganda to other countries. Per the National Pulse, a January 2021 report from the Washington Post reveals that China purchased placements in western media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the WaPo, and the New York Times.
This is similar to what ChinaAid founder Dr. Bob Fu said in February this year, stating that the CCP has a so-called Department of Propaganda, which receives "billions and billions of dollars" from the communist government to be used to fund "overseas propaganda."
"That's why you have seen in Washington Post to New York Times, including Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and AP--They were all co-opted with this--part of the budget of 'grant oversees propaganda'-they were putting in the name of 'Advertisement'," Fu said.
Key persons
What makes the CCP's links to the Berggruen Institute even more interesting is the fact that Berggruen itself is connected to some influential people. These people, known as members of the think tank's "21st Century Council," include:
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
- Huffington Post founder Ariana Huffington
- CNN Host and WaPo columnist Fareed Zakaria
- Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt
- Former Danish Prime Minister and Facebook Oversight Board Member Helle Thorning-Schmidt
- Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown
- Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
- Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy
- Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers
- Staunch anti-Trump funder Pierre Omidyar
- and more.
Considering the reach and influence of these people (Dorsey alone holds much influence over the millions of Twitter users, for example), it's easy to see just how the CCP is able to spread its propaganda worldwide.
