Over 100 Chinese Websites Pose as Local News Outlets in 30 Countries: Report

The campaign is an example of a sprawling influence operation serving both financial and political interests, and in alignment with Beijing’s political agenda.’

The logo of CGTN Europe is pictured on a sign outside an office block that houses the offices of China Global Television Network in Chiswick Park, west London, on Feb. 4, 2021. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

At least 123 Chinese websites are disguised as local news outlets in 30 countries to disseminate pro-Beijing disinformation, according to a recent report from Citizen Lab, a digital watchdog at Canada’s University of Toronto.

“The campaign is an example of a sprawling influence operation serving both financial and political interests, and in alignment with Beijing’s political agenda,” Alberto Fittarelli, senior researcher at Citizen Lab, wrote in his Feb. 7 report.