Thread by @paulmozur

First there was all out censorship. Then warnings. Finally in recent weeks China has waged a full-blown disinformation campaign against the HK protesters. It’s a reminder the world’s most powerful online manipulation has its capital in Beijing, not Moscow. nytimes.com/2019/08/13/wor…

Likely they are learning from Moscow as well. But most of the reason China’s government gets less attention for its propaganda and disinformation is because its campaigns are largely aimed at its own people.

With protesters accusing China’s public security of planting an agent at airport protests tonight. And a Global Times reporter also being singled out and detained by protesters. The questions about China’s efforts to manipulate and muddy the narrative have become a major issue.

Beijing’s heightened rhetoric is a bad sign. If officials believe their disinformation, like protests being caused by foreign agents, it inevitably causes huge politics miscalculations. It also has built a surge of nationalist resentment in China, making compromise much harder.

The efforts are also projected internationally. Having spent the day trawling People’s Daily Twitter, they blame foreign agents, show protester violence, but never once identify a reason for the protests. Unsurprisingly many in China don’t understand what the protests are about.

It’s important to add, there was chilling violence and a mob trial committed against the two Chinese by protesters. The anger is fueled by a yawning power gap in narrative projection, an utter lack of political leadership, and intransigence from Beijing. It’s ugly on both sides.

At its heart this is about a demand for a government that responds to people’s demands. The complete unwillingness to give an inch from authorities on that has fueled a situation spinning rapidly out of control. The only verdict is total political failure.