By Yin Liang

The US House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will allocate $325 million annually from fiscal year 2023 to 2027, totaling $1.6 billion, to counter the so-called "malign influence" from China. This funding initiative to manipulate public opinions to smear China once again proved that, the US is the true spreader of disinformation, and it will create adverse effects on international relations and the global discourse.

In addition to the usual clichés against China's system, the bill specifically targeted the Belt and Road Initiative, instigating individuals and entities funded by the US to fabricate negative stories about it. This, analysts pointed out, reflects Washington's anxiety over its domination.

While the bill did not specify which media outlets will receive the fund, it did mention two notorious organizations: the Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The GEC, which is affiliated to the US State Department, is viewed as the coordination center for America's cognitive warfare against countries like China and Russia. Ostensibly tasked with countering disinformation, it actually serves as a center of creating disinformation. The USAID, on the other hand, is the primary vehicle of America's efforts for "democratic infiltration" abroad. Analysts believe that if this US$1.6 billion funding bill is eventually signed into law, the money will most likely flow to these two organizations.

Splashing money to manipulate public opinions is an old trick played by the US, which is usually acted out in the following forms given what the country has done in the Cold War period against the Soviet Union, in the early 21st century when it incited the "Arab Spring", and now when it is suppressing and smearing China.

The first is sponsoring "online army". In 2020, Gabriel, then head of the GEC, publicly admitted at a congressional hearing that the US government had collaborated with Western internet companies and NGOs to endorse pro-Western media around the world. For example, in May 2022, a so-called independent media outlet in Zimbabwe was exposed for openly fabricating news to discredit the BRI at the price of US$1,000 per piece paid by the US embassy.

The second is funding relevant entities. In 2020, against the backdrop of the rumor and smear campaign against Xinjiang cotton by US-led Western media, the Swiss Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) announced that it was forced to suspend projects related to Xinjiang cotton. Forced by whom? The USAID, as shown in the list of BCI's funding partners published on its official website. In November 2023, the AidData program at William & Mary released a report discrediting the BRI, also with USAID behind its back.

The third is investing in new media for in-depth penetration. In recent years, manipulation of social media by the US government has been frequently exposed. The "Facebook Files" incident in 2021 and the "Twitter Files" incident in 2022 exposed that multiple US official agencies had been secretly pressuring social media platforms to cooperate with government actions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of Twitter and Facebook accounts based in China were shut down, with GEC behind the scenes. In August 2022, a report by Stanford University and other institutions revealed that the US had created hundreds of fake accounts as part of a "covert influence operation" to discredit China and other countries across various social platforms.

As American society is ravaged by pronounced social tension and public dissatisfaction, both the Republicans and the Democrats are targeting China, in an attempt to shift domestic conflicts by hyping up the "China threat" and lure votes by taking a tough line against Beijing. US politicians are trying to gain political capital by manufacturing excuses to stigmatize and demonize China, which has aroused hostility among the American public toward China and undermined mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. However, smearing and suppressing cannot fundamentally resolve America's problems, much less can it hinder China's development. Instead, it will only damage bilateral relations, harm the interests of the US and its people, and threaten global peace and stability.

Editor's note: Originally published on cri.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.