Resources
Resources
Browse resources on authoritarian sharp power and its effects on the integrity of institutions and globalized spaces.
0 Filters Applied
Publication Date: June 13, 2023
The Chinese Communist Party’s Campaign on University Campuses
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: North America, United States
Author: Ellen Bork
The People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s influence activities at American universities, part of an agenda to project Chinese power globally and undermine liberal democratic norms, range from seemingly benign activities like exchanges and language and culture programming to intimidation and threats.
Publication Date: July 7, 2023
‘Secret’ New York Police Station is Mere Sliver of Beijing’s U.S. Harassment Push
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: North America, United States
Author: Jane Tang
The Bejing-backed American Chang Le Association is one of many US-based organizations which have been used by the CCP to intimidate and manipulate the Chinese diaspora community. These organizations have threatened, harassed, and assaulted Chinese pro-democracy activists and protesters on US soil.
Publication Date: August 18, 2023
China’s Educational Soft Power Is Seeing Results in Indonesia
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Asia-Pacific, Indonesia
Author: Azis Anwar Fahcrodin
China has drawn a large number of Indonesian students to its universities, even leveraging Islamic religious tenets to appeal to Muslim communities. This effort has cultivated positive opinions among the public, but also influenced religious leaders and students to dismisses China’s human rights violations, especially regarding Uyghurs.
Publication Date: August 21, 2023
Beijing-run School in Tanzania Trains African Leaders in Authoritarianism
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique
Author: Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Fighting for influence on a continent rich in raw materials and energy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has opened a training academy in Tanzania to train African leaders in its authoritarian governance tactics. The school instructs pupils how the CCP fuses the ruling political party and the state.
Source: Sinopsis
Publication Date: August 4, 2023
Making Friends, Making Inroads: The CCP’s Influence Activities in Estonia
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Europe, Estonia
Author: Frank Jüris
The Chinese Communist Party has overseen a comprehensive foreign influence campaign in Estonia, targeting government, business, and civil society. Estonia’s financial and political ties to China have placed Chinese policy priorities over Estonia’s own national interests and threaten national security.
Source: Eurasianet
Publication Date: August 4, 2023
Central Asia: China Strives to Shape Belt and Road-Related Media Coverage
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Eurasia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
China has invested heavily in Central Asia, including in hydroelectricity, healthcare, and agriculture. China has also opened opportunities for scholarships and military cooperation. To promote China’s perspective on the Belt and Road Initiative, authorities held a conference in Xinjiang in July 2023.
Source: New York Times
Publication Date: April 23, 2023
Chinese Censorship is Quietly Rewriting the Covid-19 Story
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
Author: Mara Kvistendahl, Benjamin Mueller
Beijing has attempted to shape global discourse around the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic by exploiting the editorial process in scientific journals. Chinese researchers retracted significant and important data from international journals that indicates a pattern of censorship from the government.
Source: Deutsche Welle
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
How China Controls its Top Students in Germany
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Europe, Germany
Author: Esther Felden
Chinese students in Germany were required to sign contracts that mandated strict control by the local embassy, required reporting third-party information, and limited academic freedom and freedom of expression. The government threatened to harm students’ families if they violated the terms.
Publication Date: February 23, 2023
China is Banking on Argentina’s Future Glory
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Latin America and the Caribbean, Argentina
Author: Leland Lazarus
An op-ed published by a Shanghai professor revealed how Chinese scholars see Argentina as critical to Chinese engagement in Latin America, including through resource extraction, beef exports, and research partnerships.
Source: Foreign Affairs
Publication Date: February 7, 2023
China Hasn’t Given Up on the Belt and Road
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
Author: Matt Schrader, J. Michael Cole
China’s Belt and Road Initiative has shifted away from large infrastructure projects to more subtle methods of authoritarian influence, including 5G technology, media buyouts, and “Sinology” programs in academia. Chinese support continues to be used by authoritarian allies to finance control globally.
Publication Date: January 28, 2023
China’s Displeasure With a Bookseller Follows Him to Florida
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: North America, United States
Author: James Areddy
China forced a Shanghai bookseller into exile in the United States due to his promotion on topics ranging from Taiwan to feminism. Chinese authorities detained his wife upon her return for a routine visit, and pressured him to return so he can be imprisoned.
Source: Sinopsis
Publication Date: January 18, 2023
Scientific Exchanges with Chinese Characteristics
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Europe, Czechia
Author: Tobiáš Lipold
Partnerships with Chinese universities have put Czech academic technology and research at risk of being stolen and used by China for military purposes. Chinese universities with military connections exploited the open nature of academic discourse and exchange programs to advance national interests.
Source: Journal of Democracy
Publication Date: December 19, 2022
China’s Global Threat to Democracy
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Global
Author: Michael Beckley, Hal Brands
Seeing any expansion of global freedom as a threat to its own power, China has expanded its repressive reach and fight against democracy through a variety of coercive means: economic, diplomatic, and technological.
Source: Henry Jackson Society
Publication Date: December 12, 2022
An Investigation of China’s Confucius Institutes in the UK
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Europe, United Kingdom
Author: Sam Dunning, Anson Kwong
The United Kingdom is home to 30 Confucius Institutes that operate under the umbrella of prestigious universities – more than any other country. These academic organizations are part of the CCP’s propaganda system, integrated into universities, to shape perceptions of China.
Publication Date: October 28, 2022
Pro-Democracy Publishing House in Thailand Targeted for Shutdown by Chinese Buyer
Authoritarian Country: China
Affected Region: Asia-Pacific, Thailand
Author: Qiao Xinxin
The founder of a pro-democracy Thai publishing house faced repeated threats and pay-off offers by CCP agents seeking to shut down his business. This followed a publication of works on the repression of Uyghurs and political dissidents in China.