A secret CIA action against China? Trump has given permission
President Donald Trump, during his presidency, authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to launch a secret campaign on Chinese social media. It was aimed at posting information online that discredited the Chinese government.
12:22 PM EDT, March 15, 2024
The scheme was initiated in 2019, during the second year of Donald Trump's term as president. A select group of CIA agents was assembled, employing fabricated online personas to disseminate adverse stories about the administration of Xi Jinping. Concurrently, they leaked sensitive intelligence to international media outlets.
False narratives were strategically released online by the CIA operatives, suggesting that Communist Party officials in China were secreting away illicitly gained funds overseas. They also launched critiques against a Chinese program funding infrastructure in developing nations, labeling it corrupt and profligate.
The strategy aimed to sow distrust among China's upper echelons and compel the government to allocate resources to counter cyber incursions into its rigorously managed internet.
The continuation of this CIA operation under President Joe Biden's administration remains uncertain. CIA spokesperson Chelsea Robinson offered no comment regarding the matter. On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry highlighted the initiative as evidence of the U.S. government's tactics of using media and the public discourse as tools to disseminate misinformation and sway global public opinion.
According to Reuters, Trump's directive in 2019 followed prolonged alerts from U.S. intelligence agencies and numerous media stories about China's engagement in bribery and intimidation to gain backing from developing nations in geopolitical conflicts. This was part of its broader strategy to create discord within the United States via proxy organizations.
Source: Reuters
