Xi Jinping plots propaganda war to make China ‘lovable’

At a time when China’s global image is being battered, President Xi Jinping says ‘the world must learn why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good’.

Chinese President Xi Jinping toasts the guests at a banquet in Beijing. Picture: Getty Images

China must assert itself more ­effectively on the world stage to strengthen its voice and status, President Xi Jinping has told the country’s leaders.

The remarks, made by Mr Xi as he addressed a session of the ruling party’s 25-member politiburo this week, come at a time when China’s global image is being battered over human rights controversies at home, the crackdown in Hong Kong and its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the propaganda machine has become more forceful in recent years, Mr Xi said Beijing must build a more sophisticated “strategic communicative system with distinct Chinese characteristics” to lead global public opinion.

With the right communication tools, China would have more friends and be seen around the world as “credible, lovable and respectable”, Mr Xi claimed.

The world must learn that the “Communist Party is truly striving for the wellbeing of the Chinese people, and understand why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good”, he said.

The Chinese leader proposed several ways to achieve Beijing’s goals. “We should better play the role of high-level experts, use important international conventions and forums, and make our voices heard through foreign mainstream media,” he said.

The Communist Party has long seen propaganda as crucial to its rule, and it spends billions each year on a vast network of foreign-language channels. In recent years, Chinese diplomats were encouraged to set up accounts on Western social media – unavailable in China – to promote Beijing’s narrative, be it about the conditions in the Muslim region of Xinjiang, the takeover of Hong Kong or the origin of Covid-19.

Chinese propaganda outlets have been criticised for spreading misinformation, often with fake accounts, during the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests and later about the pandemic.

China is actively supplying news by its state media to developing nations and even Western countries to try to change the ­narrative worldwide.

It has also stepped up its wolf warrior diplomacy campaign against Western media over their “biased” reporting, in part by making life more difficult for foreign journalists, especially those working in China from Australia, the UK and the US.

As the party’s authoritarian ideology is increasingly in conflict with liberal Western values, Beijing sees world opinion as a battlefield where it must take command, as it has done at home, where all media are state-­controlled.

At Tuesday’s politburo meeting, Mr Xi praised the country’s past achievements in overseas propaganda. “We’ve effectively guided global opinion and conducted struggles in global opinion,” he said. “We’ve noticeably raised our voice and boosted our influence.”

In future, Beijing should customise its approach to different regions, nations and audiences, he said. “We must pay attention to have the right tone. We are not only open, confident but also humble and modest. We strive to build a Chinese image that is credible, lovable and respectable.”

A more finessed approach can already be spotted in the PR disaster area that is Xinjiang, where Western governments have accused China of genocide against the region’s Muslim Uighur population.

On Wednesday, the regional government organised a Zoom session featuring numerous testimonials from Uighurs in Xinjiang about the economic progress they have made thanks to the Communist Party’s benign rule. The government has also been holding regular news conferences in Beijing and organised a series of closely supervised visits to Xinjiang to tell its story.

The Times