Chinese-language media in Canada are playing a key role in promoting pro-Beijing narratives and facilitating censorship within the Chinese diaspora, according to recently released
intelligence assessment.Released by the Foreign Interference Commission on Sept. 24, the heavily-redacted report is a joint assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Privy Council Office on how the Chinese Communist Party influences Chinese-language media in Canada.
“Communist Party of China (CPC)-friendly narratives inundate Chinese-language media in Canada. Censorship (including self-censorship) is pervasive and alternative media voices are few or marginalized in mainstream Chinese-language media,” says the report dated July 2023. This influence extends to traditional outlets such as newspapers as well as online platforms.
According to the report, Beijing “considers control over overseas Chinese diaspora communities integral to its domestic stability and legitimacy.” Canada’s large Chinese diaspora community of over 1.7 million, therefore, makes it a key target, the report adds. By influencing Chinese-language media, Beijing can shape public opinion within the diaspora community and enable “its other activities, including transnational repression efforts and attempts to influence electoral outcomes,” the report says.
Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Stéphane Perrault was asked at the inquiry on Sept. 24 about the report’s concerns that the Beijing regime “controls narratives by limiting opportunities for dissenting voices” by providing economic incentives and fostering self-censorship in its efforts to influence electoral outcomes.
Perrault said the Canada Elections Act’s foreign interference provisions contain exceptions for media content but agreed the activities could be a concern if economic incentives were involved and that they could violate foreign third party contribution rules.
WeChat
The report highlights risks associated with the WeChat social media platform widely used by in the Chinese community, noting the platform’s design can “exacerbate the spread of disinformation and misinformation” that aligns with Beijing’s interests.WeChat is is developed by the China-based Tencent.
Citing open-source reports, the document also notes “a coordinated disinformation campaign on WeChat aimed at dissuading voters from supporting parliamentary candidates with anti-China views in 2021.” The reference is likely to the case of former
Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, who reported being targeted by a disinformation campaign on WeChat that made false allegations against him. Chiu said that the campaign tried to smear him by falsely claiming that his criticism of Beijing’s human rights abuses and his introduction of a bill to create a foreign agent registry amounted to targeting Chinese Canadians.
Chiu, who represented Richmond-Steveston in British Columbia, was defeated in the 2021 election, with the Liberal candidate winning the seat.
The Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE)
conducted a review of the incident but decided against launching a formal investigation, citing a lack of evidence, according to its
memorandum submitted to the foreign interference inquiry on Sept. 17. The memo noted, however, that based on information received during the review, it appeared that “attempts to influence the Chinese Canadian diaspora existed.”
