US President Trump authorized the CIA to conduct a secret campaign on Chinese social media to undermine public opinion against the Chinese Communist Party, Reuters revealed.
Operatives, using fake identities, spread negative narratives about Xi Jinping’s regime and leaked disparaging intel to foreign news outlets.
In response, the Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of endangering the security of Chinese people through such operations.
Trump’s Covert Influence Operation
The operation targeted not only China but also countries where the US and China vie for influence.
“The CIA operation came in response to years of aggressive covert efforts by China aimed at increasing its global influence,” the report mentions.
The report falls short of revealing the impact of this influence operation and whether Biden continued or suspended it.
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The Biden administration remains tight-lipped about the program’s status.
CIA spokesperson Chelsea Robinson declined to comment on the existence of any such covert operation.
Critics fear it endangers dissidents and independent journalists and undermines principles of peaceful coexistence.
