Chinese State Media Spreads Anti-US Propaganda Amid Ukraine War for Domestic Audience: Expert

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during his first visit to China since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, at their meeting in Huangshan in China's Anhui Province, on March 30, 2022. STR/CCTV/AFP via Getty Images

Chinese state media publicly announced support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, following the arrival of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in China.

Lavrov arrived in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, on March 30 for a two-day meeting, presided over by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, to discuss issues surrounding Afghanistan. Foreign Ministers from Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Wang told Lavrov that “China-Russia relations have withstood the new test of an evolving international landscape,” and both countries should “promote China-Russia relations in the new era to higher levels.”

One day prior to the meeting, on March 29, Chinese state media, People’s Daily, published an article titled, “US Has Inescapable Responsibilities for Ukraine Crisis,” in which it claimed that the United States was the “initiator” and “the biggest driving force” of the Ukraine crisis.

According to two Chinese commentators, this new line of propaganda is merely another strategy used by the CCP to maintain control.

Zheng Jie, a political commentator based in Japan, called it “domestic propaganda.”

The tremendous number of articles being published about the United States’ “responsibilities” is a form of brainwashing of the Chinese people, Zheng told The Epoch Times. “Basically, the CCP tries to maintain its legitimacy by characterizing the United States as an enemy and blaming the United States for China’s economic recession.”

Lu Tianming, a U.S.-based China expert and current affairs commentator, agreed.

“The CCP’s values are the opposite of the Western democracy and freedom, so it’s not possible for it to change stance,” he told The Epoch Times. “It is using the same old tactic to incite anti-American sentiments in the country.”

Ellen Wan contributed to this report.