ABSTRACT
China came late to the social-media game compared to Russia and Iran, but it became a major player during the pandemic. Beijing developed strategies for information campaigns to control the narrative, particularly at home, while also undermining Western narratives about COVID-19. Taiwan seems to have served as a test bed for developing increasingly sophisticated disinformation messages and networks, which China then deployed elsewhere. The number of government-affiliated social-media accounts noticeably increased during the pandemic, indicating that China was exploring how best to use social media as part of its wolf-warrior diplomacy and to promote a more favourable view of China abroad. Throughout the pandemic the CCP’s social-media activity focused on four main narratives. First and foremost it aimed to maintain a positive image of China both domestically and on the international stage, primarily for defensive purposes to reinforce existing formal narratives coming out of Beijing.
