A Free 10-Day Luxury Tour Of China, But You're Eligible Only If You're From This Country
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China invites social media influencers from the United States for a fully-funded 10-day trip in July to reshape global perceptions and showcase the "real China"
In a move that blends diplomacy, digital strategy, and tourism, China is rolling out the red carpet for social media influencers from the United States, offering a fully-funded 10-day trip in July 2025. The initiative, part of the China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program, is aimed at reshaping global perceptions and showcasing what Beijing calls the 'real China".
At a time when tensions between the US and China remain high over issues like trade and technology, the program appears to be China's soft-power counteroffensive, targeting Gen Z and millennial audiences not through formal press briefings, but through influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Influencers selected for the program will be treated as state guests and given special assistance with the visa process. But the invitation is not open to everyone.
According to College Daily, a media outlet catering to Chinese students in North America, the eligibility criteria include being based in the United States, having a clean record, and demonstrating a fondness for Chinese culture. Most crucially, applicants must have at least 3,00,000 followers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or X (formerly Twitter), and be active across multiple platforms.
Participants will travel to five cities – Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Handan, and Beijing – where they'll explore e-commerce hubs, visit corporate giants like Xiaohongshu and BYD, engage in cultural activities such as Taichi, and even live-stream from the Great Wall of China. Their content will be amplified by Chinese state-affiliated media, ensuring it reaches a wide global audience.
Though positioned as a cultural exchange program, the initiative is seen by many analysts as part of a broader campaign to counteract negative global narratives surrounding China, particularly those related to censorship, human rights, and geopolitical assertiveness.
In recent years, China has increasingly turned to non-traditional diplomacy, enlisting foreign influencers to present a polished, tightly-curated version of life in China. A 2023 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute revealed that over 120 foreign influencers had received support from the Chinese government to produce content favourable to its image.
One high-profile example came earlier this year, when American streamer IShowSpeed visited China. His videos, which highlighted China's tech innovation and modern infrastructure, went viral, generating millions of views and stirring global curiosity.
A 5-Year Plan For US Youth
China's influencer exchange program is slated to run for five years, with annual invitations extended to fresh batches of American content creators. The long-term plan aligns with President Xi Jinping's 2023 pledge to invite 50,000 American students to China, part of a broader goal to deepen educational and cultural ties even amid diplomatic frostiness.
Encouragement has also come from within Chinese student communities abroad, who are being urged to recommend influencers they know for the trip.
While critics may see this as propaganda dressed in Instagram filters, supporters argue it's a form of people-to-people diplomacy that could help reduce misinformation and foster mutual understanding in an increasingly polarised world.
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