China: Merics warns of manipulation

A new Merics study shows: In the last five years, China has increasingly aspired to co-determine discourse in other countries – including in Europe. The researchers call for heightened vigilance and propose a number of remedies.

Dusty old government propaganda is a thing of the past – China’s leadership is pouring resources into self-marketing. And it has set itself the goal of controlling public discourse outside the country and improving its own image. After all, China’s image has significantly declined in the last few years. In a survey of 24 countries, including many in Europe, an average of 67 percent of people stated that they had a rather negative image of China.

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