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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 exchanged programs to advance national interests.

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.

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.

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.

Following the November 2021 Honiara riots and the March 2022 leaking of the China–Solomon Islands security agreement, the CCP used propaganda and disinformation to push false narratives in an effort to shape the Solomon Islands public’s perception of security issues and foreign partners.

The Chinese Communist Party strives to cultivate cultural, political, and academic ties in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These efforts are more pronounced in the Republika Srpska, where the authorities tend to adopt a pro-Russian and anti-Western foreign policy stance.

Chinese influence in Serbia is spread through various means. The most conspicuous and successful tools have been economic cooperation between Serbia and China, activities of the Chinese embassy, bilateral visits, “mask and vaccine diplomacy,” and cooperation with Serbian media.

China’s objective is to build an influential pro-Beijing lobby and prevent Bulgaria from joining the group of China’s outspoken critics. In the absence of any substantial initiative as the 16/17+1 format peters out, old-style Chinese propaganda is unlikely to sway many Bulgarians.

North Macedonia is a member of several international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and NATO, where the vote of each country counts. Thus, China seeks to ensure North Macedonia’s friendship, or at least neutrality, on resolutions tabled by Western governments.

Through Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Leadership School, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allows foreign political parties to learn from its experience in governance and development while cultivating foreign partnerships that will advance CCP foreign policy goals.