What ‘Zhong Sheng’ Says About China’s Perceptions of the Ukrai | tWiLiGhT

What ‘Zhong Sheng’ Says About China’s Perceptions of the Ukraine Conflict

In analyzing the specific language offered by representatives of the PRC through the state run Zhong Sheng pen name in the People’s Daily newspaper, three key themes emerge: emphasizing NATO is a threat; pointing to the Cold War mentality of the United States as a source of discord; and asserting that by leveraging massive sanctions, the United States is waging “financial terrorism.” At the same time, the PRC has not asserted that Russia’s territorial ambitions are legitimate.

While both sides traffic in mistruths and disinformation, China supports the Russian talking point that the United States is directly responsible for Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. China further dives into the conspiracy narrative that the U.S. supports bioweapons research, seeking to blame the United States for bioweapons fears after the COVID-19 pandemic and the unfounded conspiracy that China itself started the pandemic in a bioweapon lab.

On May 2, the U.S. Department of State put out a statement denouncing Chinese misinformation and “blame-shifting” about the invasion, including Beijing’s echoing of Russian talking points and amplifying the conspiracy theories about U.S.-backed bioweapons in Ukraine.


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