EU says needs more cash to fight Chinese disinformation

The EU’s diplomatic chief on Tuesday called for more resources to fight disinformation from China, warning that Europe needed to stop being naive in its dealings with Beijing. EU foreign affairs high representative Josep Borrell, speaking after video talks with the Chinese foreign minister, told European countries they needed to back up their preaching on disinformation with money. He said Chinese minister Wang Yi had rebuffed his concerns about Beijing’s clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, reiterating the communist government’s lines about boosting security in the financial hub.

Coronavirus has fanned the flames of a geopolitical information war, with the West accusing Beijing and Moscow of promoting false or misleading narratives about the pandemic which began in China late last year. On Wednesday, Borrell and EU vice-president for values and transparency Vera Jourova are to issue a statement on a strategy to counter disinformation inspired by the coronavirus epidemic.

A copy of the statement seen by AFP accuses Moscow and Beijing of ”seeking to undermine democratic debate and exacerbate social polarisation, and improve their own image in the COVID-19 context.” The EU operates a small task force with a website analysing and debunking misleading stories, but it is primarily focused on disinformation emanating from Russia.

EU member states are currently haggling over the bloc’s next long-term budget and with the pandemic hammering economies, there is huge pressure to find savings. But Borrell urged national governments to do more on disinformation, saying he needed ”not only preaching but providing”.

EU-Chinese relations are bumping through a rocky patch as Brussels struggles to calibrate its response to Beijing’s growing assertiveness under President Xi Jinping. The bloc has characterised China as a ”systemic rival” — as well as a partner on issues such as climate change — but it has struggled to find a unified response as national governments pursue their own interests with the Asian giant.

Source: DJ