Chinese social media propaganda targets India and its tourism sector
Campaign highlights hygiene, safety and transport issues in India
China uses influencers to shape its narratives globally
After its alleged propaganda about the Indian Rafale jet losses during Operation Sindoor, China has launched another campaign to target India, specifically its tourism sector.
India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team has uncovered at least 100 accounts on Chinese social media platform Weibo and YouTube amplifying videos to portray India as a filthy, unwelcoming and unsafe destination for foreign travellers.
To lend credibility to their campaign, these accounts selectively pick up parts from vlogs of Western influencers complaining about certain aspects of Indian life, during their visit.
The propaganda campaign features five edited videos focusing on areas where India has struggled to improve, such as public hygiene, cleanliness, public transport, urban road traffic management and women's safety.
The campaign started on Weibo on July 17 with a widely shared video of a British influencer, who visited India after China. The clip, accompanying a hashtag in Chinese which loosely translates to "British internet celebrity who complained about China, breaks down in India", shows her breaking down in tears, saying, "I feel stupid about complaining about China." The Chinese hashtag was used on popular social media platform Weibo. SELECTIVE EDITS
Clips part of the propaganda campaign were selectively edited to show Western influencers criticising India and praising China. Videos of influencers who visited both India and China are included in this campaign. The edited videos were shared with Chinese subtitles and voice-over narration, tailoring the content for domestic audiences.
But the reality is somehow different.
Though the criticism of India's poor public cleanliness and women's safety by foreign tourists is a harsh reality, their perception is not as black and white as these Chinese propagandists try to frame.
In their original videos, these foreign influencers point out flaws where they see them and praise things they find alluring. For instance, a vlog on the Australia-based "Travel for Phoebe" YouTube channel documents an incident of harassment while praising Indian food and scenic destinations in Rajasthan's Udaipur.
The Chinese propaganda campaign, however, picks up only the part where harassment is reported. CAMPAIGN ON YOUTUBE
The campaign wasn't limited to Weibo. At least four Chinese YouTube channels uploaded similar content, featuring foreign influencers.
Propaganda videos on YouTube, dozens in number, carry provocative and derogatory titles such as, "Are Chinese toilets cleaner than Indian restaurants?", "The worst country on earth" and "Bloggers went to India happily, went home crying".
China is known to use social media influencers in influence operations targeting other countries to boost its image, and promote its narrative and interests.
Earlier this month, China announced a programme inviting US content creators on a 10-day, fully sponsored trip to promote its positive image, as per Bloomberg. Last year, Indian security agencies flagged several Indian influencers whose travel and production expenses were allegedly funded by China to create content promoting a pro-China narrative.
After its alleged propaganda about the Indian Rafale jet losses during Operation Sindoor, China has launched another campaign to target India, specifically its tourism sector.
India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team has uncovered at least 100 accounts on Chinese social media platform Weibo and YouTube amplifying videos to portray India as a filthy, unwelcoming and unsafe destination for foreign travellers.
To lend credibility to their campaign, these accounts selectively pick up parts from vlogs of Western influencers complaining about certain aspects of Indian life, during their visit.
The propaganda campaign features five edited videos focusing on areas where India has struggled to improve, such as public hygiene, cleanliness, public transport, urban road traffic management and women's safety.
The campaign started on Weibo on July 17 with a widely shared video of a British influencer, who visited India after China. The clip, accompanying a hashtag in Chinese which loosely translates to "British internet celebrity who complained about China, breaks down in India", shows her breaking down in tears, saying, "I feel stupid about complaining about China." The Chinese hashtag was used on popular social media platform Weibo. SELECTIVE EDITS
Clips part of the propaganda campaign were selectively edited to show Western influencers criticising India and praising China. Videos of influencers who visited both India and China are included in this campaign. The edited videos were shared with Chinese subtitles and voice-over narration, tailoring the content for domestic audiences.
But the reality is somehow different.
Though the criticism of India's poor public cleanliness and women's safety by foreign tourists is a harsh reality, their perception is not as black and white as these Chinese propagandists try to frame.
In their original videos, these foreign influencers point out flaws where they see them and praise things they find alluring. For instance, a vlog on the Australia-based "Travel for Phoebe" YouTube channel documents an incident of harassment while praising Indian food and scenic destinations in Rajasthan's Udaipur.
The Chinese propaganda campaign, however, picks up only the part where harassment is reported. CAMPAIGN ON YOUTUBE
The campaign wasn't limited to Weibo. At least four Chinese YouTube channels uploaded similar content, featuring foreign influencers.
Propaganda videos on YouTube, dozens in number, carry provocative and derogatory titles such as, "Are Chinese toilets cleaner than Indian restaurants?", "The worst country on earth" and "Bloggers went to India happily, went home crying".
China is known to use social media influencers in influence operations targeting other countries to boost its image, and promote its narrative and interests.
Earlier this month, China announced a programme inviting US content creators on a 10-day, fully sponsored trip to promote its positive image, as per Bloomberg. Last year, Indian security agencies flagged several Indian influencers whose travel and production expenses were allegedly funded by China to create content promoting a pro-China narrative. Join our WhatsApp Channel
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