Breaking the Circle: Chinese Communist Party Propaganda Infrastructure Rapidly Expands

Summary

China is rapidly advancing its global propaganda strategies through international communication centers (ICCs), with over 100 centers established since 2018 — most since 2023. These centers aim to amplify the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) voice on the international stage, targeting specific audiences with tailored messaging (a strategy known as “precise communication”). ICCs coordinate local, national, and international resources to build China's image, share political narratives, and promote economic partnerships.

By leveraging inauthentic social media amplification, foreign influencers, and collaborations with overseas media, ICCs advance China’s multi-layered propaganda approach. For instance, Fujian's ICC reportedly manages TikTok accounts targeting Taiwanese audiences, likely including a covert account that is highly critical of the Taiwan government called Two Tea Eggs. On YouTube, the same ICC promotes videos of Taiwanese individuals praising China. These centers are strategically positioned to promote China's interests during geopolitical crises, despite challenges like limited credibility and resource constraints.

Breaking the Circle: Chinese Communist Party Propaganda Infrastructure Rapidly Expands

China's efforts to reshape global narratives about its policies, culture, and geopolitical aims have reached new heights with the rapid proliferation of international communication centers (ICCs). Established to amplify the voice of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), these centers are integral to China's global propaganda apparatus and seek to propel the CCP’s “precise communication” strategy for targeting distinct audiences. Here’s a closer look at their functions, strategies, and implications.

What Are ICCs?

ICCs are propaganda hubs designed to bring new resources to the CCP’s efforts to “tell China’s story” by centralizing and streamlining the capabilities of provinces, cities, and smaller jurisdictions. These centers focus on building China's global image by sharing positive narratives about its culture, economy, and development. Simultaneously, they act as a conduit for political narratives aimed at countering negative perceptions and promoting China's geopolitical agenda.

Over 100 ICCs have been established across China, primarily since 2023, under provincial and sub-provincial propaganda departments and state media organizations. These centers aim to "break the circle" to penetrate foreign audiences and tailoring content for specific regions and demographics.

Key Objectives of ICCs

ICCs primarily aim to promote positive narratives about China. They create content that highlights the country’s cultural heritage, technological innovations, and economic progress, fostering goodwill among international audiences. Additionally, ICCs counter negative narratives by responding to perceived anti-China sentiments and disseminating content to influence public opinion on geopolitical topics. By tailoring their approaches to specific regions and demographics, ICCs strive to ensure their narratives resonate more effectively. For example, Fujian’s ICC specifically targets Taiwanese audiences using TikTok accounts that blend cultural themes with critical political messaging.

Tactics and Strategies

ICCs employ various tactics to achieve their objectives. Social media operations form a core component of their strategy, with thousands of accounts active across platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Many of these accounts lack transparency about their state affiliations, enabling covert influence campaigns. Additionally, ICCs leverage foreign influencers and “communication officers” to amplify China’s narratives through user-generated content, vlogs, and experiential propaganda.

Collaboration with overseas media organizations further enhances ICCs' reach and legitimacy. Through actions like organizing foreign journalist visits to China, ICCs create an impression of organic coverage and offer an alternative to Western narratives. These partnerships — reportedly established in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Japan, Russia, the United States, and elsewhere — are complemented by localized propaganda activities that align with China’s economic and geopolitical interests. S

Challenges to Success

Despite ambitious goals, ICCs face significant challenges that hinder their effectiveness. These include a lack of professional and foreign talent, insufficient discourse power, inadequate data for precise communication, and inconsistent funding. ICCs often struggle to translate local developments into effective narratives for foreign audiences and lack focus on target demographics. Many rely heavily on central state media infrastructure, as seen with the Nanning International Communication Center outsourcing key operations to Xinhua News Agency. These limitations echo long-standing issues within China's state media sector.

Implications

ICCs represent a sophisticated evolution in China's propaganda efforts. While they are unlikely to become trusted sources of information in the near term, their ability to amplify preferred narratives during geopolitical crises is likely significant. These centers likely have the potential to influence foreign opinion of China by offering regular engagement, providing alternatives to Western sources, and focusing on topics like quality of life in China rather than political values, especially among Global South and Western periphery audiences.

Outlook

The expansion of international communication centers (ICCs) reflects China's ongoing efforts to innovate its media strategy, centralize resources, and project global narratives favoring its interests under Xi Jinping's leadership. Despite challenges, ICCs likely strengthen China's ability to influence global discourse by leveraging thousands of overt and covert social media accounts and fostering collaborations with foreign media. These centers could amplify assertive messaging during crises and suppress negative coverage of China.

China's long-term goal is almost certainly to establish ICC-affiliated platforms as trusted sources of information. While this remains unlikely in the near term due to credibility challenges, ICCs represent a strategic step toward improving China’s external propaganda system. Researchers and governments should prioritize tracking ICC activities and advocating for transparent labeling of their state affiliations on social media platforms.

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