When researching and writing material about China, you have to be aware of the Chinese government’s disinformation efforts. People who speak out against it are apt to be the targets of systematic insults and character assassination. If you’re operating on a small level, you probably won’t be bothered. Even though my articles on boycotting the Chengdu Worldcon did well in the search engines, I’ve received only one clear threat with a Chinese connection.

CNN has reported on “the world’s largest known online disinformation operation”:

The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence. …

The onslaught of attacks – often of a vile and deeply personal nature – is part of a well-organized, increasingly brazen Chinese government intimidation campaign targeting people in the United States, documents show.

The article discusses a journalist, Jiayang Fan, who has been hit with a hashtag, #TraitorJiayangFan, and made-up accusations of murder. She has said, “This is part of a very old Chinese Communist Party playbook to intimidate offenders and aspiring offenders.”

Another technique the article mentions is the disrupting of discussions about China with low-quality posts, making it harder to present and discuss valid information. (Granted, this is pretty much the normal state of social media.) This includes flooding hashtags with off-topic posts using them.

News services, such as BBC, that criticize China are targets of attacks by China. China banned the BBC World News Channel. Chinese media tried to spread the notion that COVID originated in the United States, though the effort didn’t get much traction.

At the same time, it would be a mistake to overestimate the problem. That can lead to fear and self-censorship. Another BBC article discusses a “sprawling network of more than 350 fake social media profiles.” That’s a tiny number on the social media scale. Chinese economic pressure to be silent is a bigger problem than Chinese astroturfing.

All this makes it tricky to find reliable information on China and its dissidents. The problem isn’t just false information but the suppression or burying of the truth. The usual information applies, but with extra caveats. As always, you should consider the reliability of the source, but even major outlets can be intimidated. The Disney film Kundun, about the Dalai Lama and the annexation of Tibet, has been called a “stupid mistake” — by Michael Eisner, trying to ingratiate himself with Xi’s government. You should check information against multiple sources and pay attention to what’s actually being said, as distinguished from innuendo.

With any controversial issue, be aware that claims may be faked or distorted. Don’t let them intimidate you, but stay on your toes.