Category China

EU to launch platform to fight Russian, Chinese disinformation

The European Union will launch a new platform to counter disinformation campaigns by Russia and China amid growing worries, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said today.

A so-called Information Sharing and Analysis Center within the EU's foreign services —the European External Action Service (EEAS) — will seek to track information manipulation by foreign actors and coordinate with the 27 EU countries and the wider community of NGOs.

"We need to understand how these disinformation campaigns are organized ... to identify the actors of the manipulation," said Borrell.

September 22, 2023
China Chinese propaganda Disinformation European Union International community Misconceptions Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

EU warns China on Ukraine disinformation and cyberattacks

China should tread carefully when it comes to spreading disinformation and cyberattacks to help Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, European Union digital chief Věra Jourová said Monday. [...]

“I have stated that we consider how China interacts with Russia's war against Ukraine to be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward. This includes of course aspects relating to cybersecurity, and disinformation,” Jourová said in a statement to POLITICO after the EU-China High-Level Digital Dialogue.

September 22, 2023
China Chinese propaganda Disinformation European Union Misconceptions Russia Ukraine

Old Italian rally photo falsely shared as ‘anti-war protest’ in Ukraine in Sept 2023

A photo of people gathering in a square has been viewed tens of thousands of times alongside a false claim it shows an anti-war protest in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in September 2023. The photo in fact predates Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine; it was taken in Turin, Italy in November 2018 and shows a rally to support the construction of a controversial train line.

September 19, 2023
Chinese propaganda Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Misconceptions Ukraine

The Top Myths about US Aid to Ukraine

As Congress debates additional support for Ukraine, the anti-Ukraine echo chamber will peddle myths and half-truths, including these four:
Myth: Washington is writing Kyiv “blank checks” that Americans cannot afford.
Myth: There is not enough oversight of US aid to Ukraine.
Myth: America is exponentially the largest donor to Ukraine.
Myth: Russia is a distraction. The US must focus on China.

September 13, 2023
Aid oversight Aid to Ukraine China Disinformation European Union Fact checks / debunkings International community Misconceptions Russia Ukraine USA

Old photos resurface with false claim that they show British ships ‘bombed in Ukraine’

Two photos have been shared in social media posts alongside false claims that they show the aftermath of British cargo ships bombed by the Russian air force in a port in Odesa in southern Ukraine on July 16, 2023. However, the photos were in fact taken in Libya and Indonesia respectively and predate Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Old photos resurface with false claim that they show British ships ‘bombed in Ukraine’ | Fact Check

Chinese influencer impersonates Russian soldier using deepfake filter – Truth or Fake

An man posing as "Paul Kochadie" fooled over 400,000 followers on his Douyin account (TikTok's equivalent in China) by using artificial intelligence to pretend to be a Russian soldier on the Ukrainian frontline. This man, who sent "daily" updates about the war in Ukraine, was neither Russian nor a soldier, but instead a resident of Henan, China. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

This is the ‘America First’ case for supporting Ukraine

The lesson of the 20th century is that putting “America First” requires us to project strength and deter our enemies from launching wars of aggression — so that U.S. troops to don’t have to fight and die in another global conflagration. The invasion in Ukraine was a failure of deterrence. Only by helping Ukraine win can we prevent further deterrence failures.

If we help Ukraine prevail, we can rewrite the narrative of U.S. weakness; restore deterrence with China; strike a blow against the Sino-Russian alliance; decimate the Russian threat to Europe; increase burden-sharing with our allies; improve our military preparedness for other adversaries; stop a global nuclear arms race; dissuade other nuclear states from launching wars of aggression; and make World War III less likely.

The “America First” conclusion: Helping Ukraine is a supreme national interest.

May 30, 2023
Aid to Ukraine China Escalation / WWIII European Union Germany International community Misconceptions NATO Ukraine USA

Fact check: No, Putin did not kneel before Xi Jinping

A strange image has gone viral. Did Vladimir Putin really get down on one knee and kiss the hand of Xi Jinping? No. The picture, which was allegedly taken during the Chinese leader's recent trip to Russia, is fake.

March 23, 2023
AI-generated images China Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Methods Misconceptions Putin Russia

Chinese social media users share edited Putin speech video with false subtitles about Ukraine

Chinese social media users have repeatedly shared a doctored clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech with false subtitles that claim he said he will not step down from power until "the problem in Ukraine is settled". However, the video contains clips taken from two different addresses and audio from one of the speeches. The Chinese and English language subtitles are false translations of the speech. As of February 17, 2023, AFP has found no official reports about Putin making such an announcement.

February 17, 2023
China Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions NATO Putin Russia Ukraine