China’s influence is growing. It buys companies, airports, and the Western media uses trademarks, his Image, and to manipulate public opinion.
Increasingly, China is accused of in the internal politics of other countries to interfere. Only yesterday, US President, Donald Trump said during his speech before the UN security Council that there were signs of interference attempts by China in the mid-term elections in the United States in November 2018.
Chinese foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected the accusations as unfounded. The document tweeted Trump later, the photo of some American Newspapers, in which Chinese Propaganda disguised as news would be printed.
Germany as a target of Chinese Propaganda
Also in Germany, China is accused of again and again, the public opinion is influenced in a targeted manner. In this connection, a Newsletter of the DPA by the end of July 2018 is remarkable. Many of the DPA-customers received a message with the subject: “Now on the dpa-News: Xinhua the Silk Road Information Service”. The renowned news Agency from Hamburg will take over the Writing according to their own distribution channels, “Reuters News” reports of Beijing’s official press Agency, in order to inform their customers about the prestige project of Chinese President Xi Jinping – the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) -; and although from a Chinese perspective.
As the China expert David Bandurskiego read this press release, were heard with him all of the alarm bells. In an interview with DW, the expert on Chinese media politics, said: “The DPA is a journalistic Institution, and now you can be with Xinhua on someone whose duty it is to promote BRI and Chinese foreign policy.”
In fact, the Xinhua-REUTERS-cooperation that the voice of the Chinese government to gain more influence abroad. In a Chinese press release in may, Xinhua stressed that the cooperation will help DPA customers to take advantage of the opportunities that the BRI offers. Also Xinhuas influence should grow thereby – in particular in German-speaking countries.
Beijing’s Media Offensive
It is not the first Time that China is trying to strengthen its media influence in the West. Usually this is done via inserts, which look like news, but actually are Ads. The Berlin research Institute MERICS (Mercator Institute for China Studies) and GPPI (Global Public Policy Institute) warned in a joint study before. China is actively “to improve the global perception of China’s political and economic System and to position it as a viable Alternative to liberal democracy.” A key role to take the influencing of the public opinion through established media.
Since June 2018, the German press Agency also offers Material from Xinhua, the news Agency of the Chinese government
In the study, which appeared in February 2018, under the title “Authoritarian Advance”, has been criticised, among other things, that some of the prestigious Western media houses published the Pro-government newspaper-Supplement to “China Watch” on a regular basis. The “New York Times”, “Le Figaro”, and in Germany, the “Handelsblatt” and “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Although the paid side dishes, you will be clearly shown as a paid ad, criticizing the authors of the study, but the established media houses in the West would be used by China to effectively, in particular because they have the readers “more credible than Chinese media.” The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” has set the special Supplement in the meantime.
Journalistic Standards in danger?
At the request of the DW DPA stated: “Xinhua Silk Road Information Service” was “a pure commercial product, which has no connection with the DPA reporting from or about China, or to other topics.” Press spokesman Jens Petersen stressed that “the DPA acts as a purely technical service providers.” The contents are not part of the editorial DPA offer. They “are characterized as a separate service and are also offered in technical respect of other services separately. The mixing with editorial dpa Offered.” Due to the separation of the various offerings of the “high editorial Standards of the DPA would be ensured,” the press Secretary Petersen.
The DPA sees itself as a purely technical service providers, media, researchers Bandurskiego is not critical. In his view, attempts to China for some time about all the possible ways the world into the everyday business of the media to interfere. “But the partners do not want to look as exactly what’s behind it.” Finally, you can earn with the Ads money.
Thorsten Benner, GPPI Director and co-author of the study “the Authoritarian Advance”, is a little less critical. In his opinion, not be in jeopardy because of such collaborations with Chinese institutions, the journalistic Standards in Germany are still acute. Compared to DW, he said: “It is annoying when Handelsblatt and co. give their brand of Propaganda of the Communist China, but the freedom of the media, I see yet this is not to be adversely affected. However, the idea is to counter the growing influence and, among other things, the possibility that the German media company to fall into Chinese Hand.”