The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in a deliberate campaign to implant false information into U.S. discourse, a tactic known as “information laundering.” This is not just manipulation—it is psychological warfare aimed at undermining American institutions and shaping public opinion to serve China’s authoritarian agenda. According to the FBI, this involves spreading lies through deceptive channels until they gain traction in mainstream media. “It’s then adopted by more mainstream sites in an attempt to legitimize it,” a spokesperson from the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office told The Epoch Times in a report by journalist Petr Svab.
Information Laundering: A Weaponized Strategy
This is not an accident or a byproduct of the digital age—it is a calculated assault. “A key component of disinformation is it has to come from a reliable source,” said Ronald Rychlak, a law professor at the University of Mississippi and an expert on Soviet-era disinformation. “It’s not legitimate if it comes from the Chinese communist government. It has to be placed in a news outlet, with a source, with a person who people accept as being legitimate.”
This mirrors Soviet-era strategies, where disinformation was planted in obscure publications before being picked up by major media. “You can’t just go to The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Epoch Times and say, ‘Here’s a story. Publish it.’ You have to have it come from multiple sources,” Rychlak explained. This method ensures that lies are legitimized, repeated, and then absorbed as fact by an unsuspecting public.
One clear example of information laundering orchestrated by the CCP involves its smear campaign against Shen Yun Performing Arts. The organization, which promotes traditional Chinese culture and is affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual practice, has been the target of coordinated attacks designed to undermine its credibility and influence in the West. CCP-linked actors have repeatedly planted defamatory narratives in smaller media outlets, which are then echoed by larger, more established publications such as The New York Times. In one instance, a former Shen Yun performer was used as a key source in multiple hit pieces, with allegations mirroring talking points that originated in Chinese state media. This coordinated effort aligns with the CCP’s broader strategy of delegitimizing dissenting voices abroad while masking its direct involvement in the disinformation campaign.
Another example is the CCP’s long-standing effort to influence American academia, particularly through the infiltration of think tanks and policy circles. Many U.S. universities have unknowingly served as platforms for CCP-backed narratives, as Chinese scholars with ties to Beijing publish research that subtly advances the regime’s geopolitical interests. These narratives often begin with academic papers funded by CCP-linked institutions, which are then cited by Western academics and media outlets, giving them an air of legitimacy. Over time, these perspectives seep into public discourse, shaping policy discussions in a way that aligns with the CCP’s objectives—whether that means downplaying human rights abuses in Xinjiang, advocating for closer economic ties with China, or casting Taiwan as an internal Chinese matter. This form of information laundering allows the CCP to manipulate Western policy debates without appearing as the direct source of influence.
Subverting Journalists and Influencers
Beyond seeding false information, the CCP actively works to infiltrate the minds of journalists and social influencers, subtly guiding them toward its objectives. “The reporter may very well think that he or she is just being a good reporter, investigating leads, looking into things, not being aware that someone is laying breadcrumbs down, trying to lead you in a particular direction,” Rychlak warned. This manipulation ensures that even well-intentioned journalists unwittingly push CCP propaganda.
Political and Academic Infiltration: A Long-Term Strategy
The CCP’s war against the United States is not limited to media influence. It is actively embedding itself in politics and academia. “You can quantify it in elected officials and installing elected officials with pro-China policies,” said Nicholas Eftimiades, a veteran of the CIA, State Department, and Defense Intelligence Agency. This is not just influence—it is infiltration.
China’s control tactics extend to high-level U.S. officials. “They carefully orchestrate what is seen, what is heard, and … how they want to shape that person’s opinion,” Eftimiades noted. These operations are designed to make American leaders complicit in advancing China’s strategic goals without them even realizing it.
Weaponized Disinformation in the Digital Age
The rise of the internet has only amplified the threat. “It’s on steroids with social media, where I can easily set up bots, and I can have thousands of apparently different sources reporting—maybe not word for word the same story, because that will be a giveaway, but pretty darn close—the same basic account of things,” Rychlak said. “It’s very easy at that point for people to fall into the trap of accepting it.”
The CCP is waging war on multiple fronts. It seeks to control economic narratives, undermine political stability, and eliminate opposition. “Falun Gong has really done a good job of warding off infiltration by the CCP. And that’s exactly why the CCP is going after them through these methods of persecuting on U.S. soil, aggressively,” said Casey Fleming, CEO of BlackOps Partners.
Falun Gong, a spiritual practice with millions of followers, has been relentlessly attacked by the CCP, with its members being targeted for harassment, lawsuits, and even violence in the United States. “They’re under relentless, nonstop pressure,” Eftimiades said. This is not just ideological suppression—it is an act of transnational repression.
Legal Warfare and Covert Operations
The CCP does not just spread propaganda—it weaponizes the law itself. “Researchers, business owners, and academics who expose the truth about a Chinese company—whether it be the Party’s theft of genomic data, forced labor, or malign trade practices—have suddenly found themselves slapped with frivolous lawsuits,” said Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2024, two Chinese Americans, John Chen and Lin Feng, pleaded guilty to acting as CCP agents after attempting to bribe an IRS agent to open a bogus investigation into Shen Yun. “The level of infiltration and subversion in the United States, Canada, the UK, [and] Australia is beyond anyone’s comprehension,” Fleming warned. “They’ve been building these operations and networks since the 1980s.”
The Urgent Need for Action
America is under siege, and yet, no comprehensive plan exists to fight back. “The first thing we need before others is a government-wide strategy,” Eftimiades said. “We have nothing; we have no way of countering the covert political influence operations of the [People’s Republic of China].”
Educating politicians is crucial. “Our political apparatus has to have the information available to them so that they understand who they’re dealing with,” Eftimiades warned. Too many U.S. leaders unknowingly shake hands with CCP operatives under the pretense of community outreach.
America must also update its laws. “When the Foreign Agents Registration Act was created, there was no online communication,” Eftimiades noted. “So in order to be prosecuted, those acts have to be done in the United States currently. Well, that’s ridiculous. We’re living in an online world.”
Fleming was blunt: “If you support foreign influence, or you take money for foreign influence, then it’s treason and you get to spend time in prison. We’re in a wartime situation.”
NP Editor: Propaganda and psychological warfare are true methods of war and a much more powerful than the average person would think. If, as some have claimed, China was attempting to influence elections, that is an act of war and should be treated as such.
