The campaigns, reportedly led by at least 30 Youtube “guerilla influencer”channels producing more than 4,500 pro-China and anti-US videos, are a “coordinated inauthentic influence campaign originating on Youtube”.
Despite these efforts, China’s state media faces challenges in balancing control with credibility. Chinese media typically reports on the country in a positive, solutions-focused way, highlighting its successes and downplaying problems.
While this approach may be normalised within the country, where “propaganda” does not necessarily carry a negative connotation, it is less effective abroad. Foreign audiences, accustomed to media that often criticizes the government, are, likely to find the relentlessly positive coverage unconvincing, according to City AM.