The US bill that could turn up the heat in the anti-China propaganda war

The US is upping the ante in its information war with China, with the House of Representatives backing a bill to spend US$1.6 billion within five years to promote anti-China propaganda, according to observers.

The “Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorisation Act of 2023” was passed 351-36 earlier this month and will require Senate and presidential approval to become law.

It proposes spending US$325 million each year until 2027 to support media and civil society sources to counter China’s “malign influence” around the world.

The proposed legislation targets any acts by China’s Communist Party or the Chinese government or entities acting on their behalf that “undermine a free and open international order”, “advance an alternative, repressive international order”, or that undermine the national and economic security or sovereignty of the US and other countries.

The funds may also be used “to promote transparency and accountability, and reduce corruption, including in governance structures targeted by the malign influence”.

However, despite the bill’s stated goal of increasing transparency, it is unclear whether it requires disclosure of the specific foreign media outlets or organisations that receive funding, though it does require reporting of the countries or regions of funded activities and the type of “malign influence” the activities are meant to counteract.