How to Counter China’s Global Propaganda Offensive

Mareike Ohlberg and Bertram Lang, "How to Counter China’s Global Propaganda Offensive," New York Times

image from

Excerpt:

At a time when the West is struggling with the shortcomings of the democratic process, China is seizing the opportunity to promote its own system. ...

In responding to this challenge, Western governments should resist the temptation to emulate China’s methods. In the United States Senate, the proposed Countering Information Warfare Act of 2016, which seeks to offer counternarratives to Chinese (and Russian) propaganda, is a good example of a misguided reaction: American propaganda would give legitimacy to the idea that governments should sponsor information campaigns. A similarly imprudent measure was a 2011 House proposal to restrict the number of visas for Chinese journalists, a response to Beijing’s policies toward foreign reporters. ...