A US State Department report that accuses the Chinese government of expanding disinformation efforts is “in itself disinformation,” Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed Saturday.

The ministry shot back after the State Department issued a striking report this week in which it accused the Chinese government of expanding efforts to control information and to disseminate propaganda and disinformation that promotes “digital authoritarianism” in China and around the world.

The US report, issued by the Global Engagement Center on Thursday, alleged that China spends billions of dollars a year on foreign information manipulation and warned that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had “significantly expanded” efforts to “shape the global information environment.”

It also underlined US concerns about China as a main military competitor and key rival in the battle over ideas and global disinformation.

  • Spzi@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    70
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    11 months ago

    This is funny. It also reflects in Lemmy. For example, take this tankie comment claiming “zelensky made having peace negotiations with putin ILLEGAL”, based on an article which says “Zelensky’s decree released Tuesday declares that holding negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin has become impossible after his decision to annex four regions of Ukraine.”

    Then watch how mods from lemmy.ml and lemmygrad.ml ban users and delete comments which question their narrative.

    Cherry on top: A user from this curated bubble remarks that “Nobody actually has any argument against this”, because of course they are shielded from comments who pointed out the inaccuracy of the claim, and don’t question it themselves.

    Compare yourself:


    Now read that comment in the basement of this thread again:

    Understand we American make more lie for pleasure and entertaining. Not chinese lie. China always with great truth.

    • /home/pineapplelover@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Had to open the links up in web version to see the difference. Ngl, it’s something I expected lemmygrad to do. I’m glad to be on lemm.ee. I love the admins and their transparency and how their policies are democratically decided like when we voted to defederate Threads.

      I also think there is nothing wrong with stuff like this and it’s what lemmy was made for. If one instance doesn’t like something, they can remove it, other instances may still want to see it, if members don’t like it, they can move or have their own instance but can still interact. It’s the beauty of decentralization.

    • Vilian@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      to be fair it’s lemmygrad so it’s the worse of qorse, not exactly lemmy in general

    • bobman@unilem.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      11 months ago

      What are you talking about? The first reply to that comment has more upvotes and debunks it.

      • Spzi@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        11 months ago

        The first reply to that comment has more upvotes and debunks it.

        Yes, from our point of view. This is fine. My point is, compare to their point of view.

        All comments rectifying the lie got removed. Users from that instance see a whole other story. Only now that weird comment makes sense:

        Nobody actually has any argument against this except ad hominems, which is usually fairly telling.

        The OP article seems to talk about a similar situation, just in geopolitics, while we play in Lemmy. Two parties with very different narratives. One is heavily filtering and censoring, which allows people living in that bubble to honestly believe what they are being told. Because that’s all they see, their Big Brother takes care.

        • bobman@unilem.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          Sorry, I am unsure how this federation thing works but your explanation made it much clearer.

      • Spzi@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        It’s unclear what you mean with “that comment”, since my comment refers to three distinct comments, and two different views of a comment section, with different replies and upvotes. If you can narrow down your question (preferrably with a link), I will try to answer it.

    • goldenlocks@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      37
      ·
      11 months ago

      They are correct though whether you want to accept that or not. Zelensky has rejected peace talks because he is deranged and thinks he can take back Crimea. This user just put that in a weird way saying it’s illegal.

      Although he has made opposition parties illegal, and reporting against the war illegal as well. He has arrested a US citizen named Gonzalo Lira for his reporting

      • Spzi@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        This user just put that in a weird way saying it’s illegal.

        Exactly, legal/illegal is a well defined term. The president of Ukraine rejecting something does not make it “ILLEGAL”.

      • barsoap@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Zelensky has rejected peace talks because he is deranged and thinks he can take back Crimea.

        Zelensky had been talking a lot with Russia while Crimea was occupied, while they already occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk (by proxy). Even after the 2022 there were talks, you might remember the pictures of delegations sitting around a table in Belarus.

        If you had read the article in question (or in fact OP’s comment) you would’ve seen that it said:

        Zelensky’s decree released Tuesday declares that holding negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin has become impossible after his decision to annex four regions of Ukraine.

        Now, I will grant that yes of course that was a political move. He was known to be a Russia-friendly president, elected (among other things) because people thought Poroshenko was too heavy-handed. Such a declaration simply makes clear to the Ukrainian people that he’s drawing a line in the sand, that his patience with Russia has ended.

        And can you fucking blame him Russia just annexed four regions. How much talking do you think, say, Vietnam would do if China annexed four of their provinces or whatever they’re called.

        • goldenlocks@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          14
          ·
          11 months ago

          Ukraine has rejected those demands and won’t hold talks with Russia until Moscow’s troops pull back from all occupied territories. - link

          Throughout the conflict this has been his demand to return Crimea for peace talks. This was never a realistic option.

          If you had read the article in question

          Yes I know his current stance, but he has always called for the return of Crimea.

          And can you fucking blame him Russia just annexed four regions.

          I understand how terrible this situation is for Ukraine as a whole, and I want it to end. The demands Zelensky has made from the beginning has only made certain that the war would continue. What we need is a ceasefire and neither side is making reasonable demands.

          • barsoap@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            15
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            11 months ago

            So… when I break into your home and eat your cookies, what are you going to do? Tell yourself that you should accept a ceasefire and let me have the couch?

            I’m sick and tired of this vulgar pacifism that does nothing but embolden aggressors. No: You should punch me in the face and boot me the fuck out. If you don’t I’ll leave to do the exact same thing to your neighbour once the cookies are gone, and the flour and sugar is gone – because yes I’m first going to make you to make more, doormat.