The Chinese Qiao Bao newspaper has many news reports from Xinhua News Agency and China News Service, representing the official voice and viewpoint of the CCP. Besides reporting local news about Chinese community activities, most news pages are directly contracted and transmitted from mainland China.
- Publishing similar articles simultaneously. Since Jiang Zemin ordered the crackdown on Falun Gong in 1999, Qiao Bao has been helping the CCP suppress Falun Gong abroad. According to statistics, from 1999 to May 2002, Qiao Bao published over 300 anti-Falun Gong articles, almost averaging one piece every three days, with viewpoints similar to those of the official Chinese media.
- Using the same language and wording. For example, during the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests, Qiao Bao referred to Hong Kong protesters as “rioters,” “illegal demonstrators,” “outsiders occupying Polytechnic University,” and “China summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest against Hong Kong bills.” Also, Qiao Bao repeated the Xinhua News Agency’s phrase of calling the Russia-Ukraine conflict the “Russia-Ukraine situation.”
Seeking to Shape and Influence US Decision-Making
The CCP seeks to influence public opinion in the United States on geopolitical issues. Several indicators are used to determine whether the media is adopting the CCP propaganda, including such topics as Falun Gong, pro-democracy groups, Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the CCP, Xi Jinping, and Sino-American disputes.For example, on July 11 and 12, 2019, when Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen transited through New York, Chinese democracy activists in the United States who came to welcome her were attacked by a group of people who identified themselves as “patriots” and carried the Chinese national flag. A reporter from The Epoch Times captured video footage of the assault.
On July 13, the New York Qiao Bao newspaper reported the incident using the headline “Protests Continue During Tsai Ing-wen’s Transit,” describing it as “supporters and protesters erupting into physical conflicts, leading to police intervention.” The accompanying photo was of Liang Guanjun, the chairman of the United Chinese Association of Greater New York, holding banners and signs that read “Advocating for Taiwan Independence Leads to War,” “Do Not Recognize One China, Forget Our Roots,” and “Tsai Ing-wen Damages US-China Relations.” On the same page was an article from Xinhua News Agency titled “US Firms Selling Arms to Taiwan Will Be Sanctioned by China.”
On Aug. 15, 2015, the CCP’s influence over the overseas media was highlighted in the reporting of Shen Lyu-shun, the Republic of China (ROC) representative to the United States, visiting a Taiwanese American community in New York. At the time, a reporter from the World Journal, a Taiwanese newspaper published in North America, avoided using the term “Republic of China (ROC)” in their reporting and changed Representative Shen’s statement to, “the ROC is a country with compassion and righteousness,” to “the Chinese people are a nation with compassion and righteousness,” distorting Shen’s original intent and adding that Shen “will always remember his Chinese identity.” The World Journal published a correction notice the next day after Shen protested.
Furthermore, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on November 28, 2019, to support Hong Kong people fleeing persecution, Qiao Bao published an article the following day titled “The US’s Involvement in Hong Kong: Five Retaliatory Measures by China” and “Russian Experts: Foreign Forces’ Involvement in Hong Kong Complicates Local Situation.”
Before and after this incident, pro-CCP Chinese-American organizations made statements in line with official CCP positions. On November 26 and December 11, 2019, Qiao Bao reported twice on “227 Chinese-American Organizations in the Eastern United States Condemning the US Congress’ Passage of the Hong Kong and Xinjiang Bills,” condemning President Trump for ignoring opposition from the Chinese-American community and signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and stating that “the U.S. is attempting to split China, so Chinese-Americans and overseas Chinese firmly support the Chinese government... and firmly oppose anti-China forces in the U.S.”
In addition, under the influence of CCP proxies, the Chinese New Year parade organizers in New York’s Chinatown have consistently refused to allow Falun Gong adherents to participate.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice consisting of simple, slow-moving meditation exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It grew in popularity during the 1990s, with 70 million to 100 million adherents in China by the end of the decade, according to official estimates at the time.
This incident reflects how the Chinese regime exports its persecution policies and attempts to manipulate the U.S. government into keeping silent about Chinese human rights violations. It also demonstrates its use of the Chinese people and the “overseas Chinese community” to intervene in U.S. domestic politics.
Numerous examples of such activities and propaganda claim to represent “public opinion” in the Chinese community and seeks to shape and influence U.S. policy to serve the interests of these people. This is not what the Chinese community wants but what the CCP wants.
