China-Pakistan: China wants to control Pak media to "deal with propaganda": report

China has developed a network of international campaigns to exert its control over the media and seeks to gain significant control over the Pakistani media. This has been disclosed in an official American report.

In addition to working closely with Russia in the information sector, China has sought to engage other close partners to counter adverse narratives, the State Department said in a report released here last week. It says that the chief among them is Pakistan.

The report said Beijing has sought to deepen cooperation with Pakistan on 'countering disinformation', including through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) media forum.

The report said Beijing and Islamabad use the media forum to address what they see as propaganda and "malicious disinformation" and have created a "CPEC Rapid Response Information Network". ) and recently promised to launch the China-Pakistan Media Corridor (CPMC).

According to a State Department report in 2021, China sought to negotiate significant control over Pakistani media as part of the China-Pakistan Media Corridor, which would include jointly operated media to monitor and shape Pakistan's information environment. Also includes the establishment of a "nerve centre".

The report said the scope of the proposal, which was not taken seriously by Islamabad, and the fact that the mechanisms it detailed appeared to disproportionately benefit Beijing, made it difficult for a close partner. It is notable as a clear example of Beijing's ambition to assume direct control over the domestic information environment.

China's draft concept paper calls on the Chinese and Pakistani governments to monitor Pakistan's information environment by streamlining inputs from think tanks, opinion leaders, CPEC study centers, media organizations, PRC companies, and even local Confucius Institutes. There have been calls for building a "nerve centre".

The proposed nerve center would rely on "three systems" and "two platforms" to accomplish this mission, the State Department said.

The two proposed platforms called for creating a joint PRC-Pakistan official system to "dispel rumours" and a news feed application to promote approved news to the local market.

In its report, the State Department alleged that China spends billions of dollars annually on foreign information manipulation efforts. Beijing uses false or biased information to promote positive views of China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

At the same time, China suppresses critical information that contradicts its desired narratives on issues such as Taiwan, its human rights practices, the South China Sea, its domestic economy, and international economic engagement.