http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/opinion/how-to-counter-chinas-global-propaganda-offensive.html 2016-09-21 15:24:48 How to Counter China’s Global Propaganda Offensive Western governments should resist the temptation to emulate China’s methods. === BERLIN — It has been a difficult year for many Western democracies — and China is rubbing it in. As Donald J. Trump rose in the Republican primaries, the state-run Xinhua news agency gleefully described the United States presidential election as “an entertaining drama that illustrates the malfunction of the self-claimed world standard of democracy.” Another America’s democracy is not the only target. China’s state media also came out swinging after the British vote to leave the European Union. An At a time when the West is struggling with the shortcomings of the democratic process, China is seizing the opportunity to promote its own system. Much more so than his immediate predecessors, President Backed by an estimated China’s propaganda is getting smarter. A good example is a The tools to spread Beijing’s vision are expanding as the party has enlisted private companies in its quest to conquer foreign media markets. The most prominent example is the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Chinese state-media institutions have also established content distribution In the United States, some high-profile Chinese attempts to buy major news media companies — such as the party-owned Southern Media Group’s bid to buy Newsweek in 2010 — have failed. But The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal both publish a paid supplement prepared by China Daily China has also gained a foothold in academic institutions around the world. A number of Western schools and universities have China may face an uphill battle in trying to influence public opinion in the West, but it would be wrong to dismiss the efforts. A lot is at stake. Widespread acceptance of the China model would hurt China itself. More legitimacy for the Communist Party would decrease pressure for the government to institute meaningful political reforms. A widely accepted monolithic ideology would further suppress expressions of individual creativity and pluralism in Chinese society. The China model may also challenge principles of good governance around the globe. With many Western democracies in apparent crisis, Chinese propaganda may fall on fertile ground in developing nations, which have been impressed by China’s economic success and social stability. In responding to this challenge, Western governments should resist the temptation to emulate China’s methods. In the United States Senate, the proposed Rather than trying to sell a glossy version of democracy or silence their critics, Western countries should focus on measures that foster pluralistic discourse. One option would be to expand programs at American and European universities to promote more interaction between locals and their visiting Chinese students. Likewise, Above all, it’s crucial to show that it is possible to point out the flaws and failures of current Western political systems without undermining what is valuable about them: pluralism, freedom of speech and the willingness for introspection. Let’s not sacrifice those values by entering into a propaganda war.