Global Propaganda: How US, Russia, and China Win Friends and Influence People

In 1948, at the start of the Cold War, an American animated film, Make Mine Freedom, told a story about capitalism and communism. The film portrayed capitalism as a system that brought freedom and opportunity, while communism, referred to as "ism", led to totalitarianism and the loss of rights. This was part of a broader war of ideologies during the Cold War. The U.S. and its allies promoted democratic capitalism, while the Soviet Union and China spread their versions of communism.

This ideological battle wasn바카라�t limited to military confrontations; it also played out through propaganda, which, as defined, is 바카라�any organised attempt by an individual, group, or government verbally, visually, or symbolically to persuade a population to adopt its views and repudiate those of an opposing group.바카라� While it has existed for centuries, its systematic use by governments became common in the 20th century. The earliest recorded systematic use of propaganda dates back to the city-states of ancient Greece. During World War I, governments refined propaganda as a weapon. All of the combatant governments produced and disseminated information campaigns to win domestic and international support.

With the 21st century came a new era of propaganda. Geopolitical events like George W. Bush바카라�s 바카라�War on Terror바카라�, the wars in the Middle East, and the rapid wave of globalisation after 1989 reshaped global influence. And in this battle for influence, governments have turned to soft power to control narratives and extend their reach.

We take a look at how Russia and China use propaganda to shape global opinion in their competition with the U.S. for global dominance.

In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and occupied Crimea. About two-and-a-half years ago, it launched a large-scale invasion. For Ukraine and most of the western countries, it바카라�s a war. But Russia calls it a "special military operation". Word choices like these shape public perception.

As the war drags on, Russia has sought to counter diplomatic isolation and U.S. sanctions by strengthening ties with the Global South in its search for new trade routes and political support. In Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin's view doesn바카라�t fall on deaf ears. This can be seen in the limited support shown by African nations for Ukraine at various UN General Assembly votes since the war started in February 2022. The first resolution calling for an immediate end to the war on Ukraine saw 28 African nations voting in favour, one against, 17 abstaining and eight absent.

Africa has become a key battleground for global influence, with major powers competing for control. Its rich natural resources, young population, and growing economy have attracted global actors, including China, Russia, the United States and the European Union. Putin is expanding influence in the continent through media, including in South Africa, where ties with Moscow date back to the Soviet era. The Russian narrative disseminated in the media stresses the fact that Russia has never been a colonial power and has never had imperialist ambitions. On March 6, 2025, Russia바카라�s State Duma hosted the Russia-Africa Information Bridge to boost its media presence on the continent. As part of this initiative, Russia plans to establish collaboration centres with African bloggers, expand its Russian television network in Africa, and support African 바카라�Orthodox bloggers바카라�.

To counter Russia바카라�s growing influence in Africa, Ukraine is also taking steps to strengthen its own presence. Before the war, Ukraine had minimal diplomatic infrastructure in the region, with only 10 embassies compared to Russia바카라�s 43. Ukraine is now seeking to make diplomatic inroads in Africa. It recently opened six new embassies, including in Rwanda, Botswana and Mozambique, and four more are planned.

According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, Russia and China are the leading sponsors of the Africa-wide campaigns 바카라�to advance their geostrategic interests and shape narratives that undermine democratic processes, promote coups in Africa, stoke anti-Western and anti-United Nations sentiment, and spread confusion about climate change science, among others.바카라�

While Russia and China share an interest in shaping global narratives, their objectives are different. Unlike Russia, China does not seek to counter a specific policy like sanctions. Beijing wants to reshape what it sees as an unfair portrayal of China in Western media.

The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) foreign campaign points toward China바카라�s inspiring success in lifting hundreds of millions of people from dollar-a-day poverty into the global middle class.

"Beijing and Moscow prevent freedom of expression within their own borders, while their state-controlled news organisations are more active than ever abroad," says Christopher Walker, Vice President, Studies & Analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy, in a  report.

For decades, China focused mainly on censoring its own citizens; but it now works to shape information narratives globally, especially in countries linked to its infrastructure projects like the Belt and Road Initiative. In March 2019, when Italy officially joined the Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping signed multiple media agreements with Italian outlets. The state-run news agency ANSA partnered with China바카라�s Xinhua to launch the Xinhua Italian Service.

바카라�This has translated into ANSA running 50 Xinhua stories a day on its news wire, with Xinhua taking editorial responsibility for the content and ANSA serving as a distribution tool,바카라� according to a  conducted at the end of 2020 among the affiliate unions of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The IFJ report says that Beijing바카라�s strategy shows clear signs of targeting journalists in developing countries with ineffective or repressive governments where disinformation reigns. A good example is Africa, where China has very deep financial interests. 바카라�Three-quarters of African respondents said they viewed cooperation with Chinese entities as positive,바카라� said the IFJ report.

The CCP has expanded its global media presence through CGTN, an alternative to CNN and the BBC, and Xinhua, a state-run wire service that now places content in foreign newspapers. In June 2020, Twitter removed 23,750 Chinese accounts spreading false information favourable to the CCP and misinformation about Hong Kong.

An published in December 2023 by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed an extensive network of YouTube channels promoting pro-Chinese and anti-US public opinion in the English-speaking world. The operation uses generative AI to rapidly produce and publish content while deftly exploiting YouTube바카라�s algorithmic recommendation system. In the latest, China바카라�s new AI assistant, DeepSeek, which shocked the American financial market at its launch, has been found parroting Chinese government statements when asked about world affairs.