China, under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, has been accused of meddling in the affairs of foreign countries across the world. Countries namely the USA, Canada, South Korea, Lithuania, France, Australia, Nepal and New Zealand have not just openly spoken against Chinese interference, but have also raised diplomatic objections to lodge a complaint.
IN THE US
According to American think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Beijing has attempted to intervene in elections through coordinated information and disinformation campaigns designed to promote candidates sympathetic to the Chinese government. It has done so widely in Australia, New Zealand and even in the Taiwanese Presidential elections in 2020.
According to reports filed to the justice department under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), China has, over the past six years, spent $280 million to influence US politics. Chinese state media organizations operating in the United States were responsible for a significant amount of money reported under FARA. CGTN, a state broadcast company, reported more than half of the $280 million pro-Beijing actors, including private media outlets controlled by owners sympathetic to Beijing, now dominate the United States.
A report published by this think tank also says that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now running seven times more China-related investigations than it was four years ago. Beijing has increasingly targeted local politicians, Mayors, Governors and state legislators, according to a report by the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
IN CANADA
The Canadian authorities have started several investigations into China’s interference in their last two elections. In one of the cases, Chinese Envoy Cong Peiwu was first summoned by the Canadian government to express frustration over attempts to meddle in Canada’s domestic politics. Later, China’s Diplomat Zhao Wei was declared ‘persona non grata’ and ordered to leave the country. This happened after lawmaker Michael Chong was identified as a target of a Chinese-led harassment campaign against him and his family in Hong Kong.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly confirmed the media report that Canadian Security Intelligence Service believes a diplomat working out of China’s Toronto consulate has targeted conservative MP Michael Chond and his relatives due to his criticism of China’s human rights records.
IN FRANCE
The report published last week by the Parliament of France after five-and-a-half months of research and hearing by the committee of inquiry alleges that China is resorting to increasingly aggressive and malicious manoeuvres for interference. The report has also accused China of adopting a strategy that fuels the contesting of norms, relying on its diaspora and cultural network to challenge and undermine the Western order. The report also alleged that the aim of China is to degrade the model of liberal democracies to indirectly promote their political model.
IN SOUTH KOREA
South Korea is also a victim. Almost a week ago, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned China’s ambassador to protest the comment he made, accusing Seoul of tilting towards the United States and away from China.
The ministry accused Chinese Ambassador Xing of violating diplomatic protocols and interfering with South Korean domestic politics, as this statement was made during a meeting with South Korean opposition leaders.
IN LITHUANIA
In 2019, amid a sea of Lithuanians celebrating a moment from their history, a small group of people was seen with flags of Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang. Then came a Chinese group waving Chinese flags and they allegedly attacked the ones carrying the flags of Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang. The demonstrators with the flags of Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang were legally protesting, whereas the Chinese came in without permission. Lithuania handed over the trouble makers to the Chinese embassy, but the embassy behaved in a surprising manner.
The Chinese told the Lithuanians that they cannot allow just anyone to say anything on the Lithuanian soil. As a reactionary move, China put an embargo on Lithuanian exports of wheat. Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Lithuanian Ambassador to India Diana Mickeviciene said: “Lithuania’s sovereignty is no less important than that of any other country’s (referring to China).”
In 2022, China suspended the import of beef, dairy and beer from Lithuania, amid growing trade dispute over the Baltic nation’s relations with Taiwan. This was followed by a remark from Chinese envoy to Paris Lu Shaye who questioned the effective status of the Baltic nation in International Law.
BUT CHINA LOVES DEMOCRACIES!
Sriparna Pathak, Associate Professor and expert on China-related issues, said, “In 2021, China came up with a white paper titled ‘China: A Democracy that Works’. China wants to portray itself as a democracy that works. The existing international system is based on Western liberal democracies, which India, despite not being a Western country, follows. China understands the importance of discourse and narrative, which will be part of its smart power to get other countries to follow the Chinese leadership.”
“China actually loves democracies, but in other countries. Because democracies provide ample space for discussions and debates which take time — the time that China does not waste, instead using it to influence people of the other country and opposition parties to vote out the government, which is not working amenable to the Chinese foreign policy,” said Pathak.
MODERNISATION, CHINESE STYLE
Namrata Hasija, an expert on China-related issues, said, “The latest (May 16) issue of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leading theoretical fortnightly magazine ‘Qiu Shi’ (Seeking Truth) included a lengthy article by Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Qin Gang quite explicitly, but without naming, criticised the US and West and outlined China’s global foreign policy agenda. Qin Gang is a close associate and protégé of Jinping and for years was in charge of managing his foreign policy schedule. Gang emphasised that Chinese-style modernization is essential for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
“During Covid, the West blamed China. But now the French President visited China and Germans are engaging with the country. The Western countries want to save economies, so business lobbies are putting pressure on their governments to engage more with China,” she said.
She added: “Most of the Chinese diplomats are people from China’s united front work department or from their security setup. They want to be wherever the US is. They want to be a superpower. China is carrying out an influence operation in different sections of society and the motive is to become the world number one by replacing the US.”
Experts says the idea is not only to interfere with democracies, but to promote Chinese wisdom and ideals of shared future for the mankind under the Chinese umbrella and communist party regime.
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