How China's Online Army Helped Beijing Fight US Tariff War

Newsweek

21-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A social network analysis firm says it has uncovered an operation involving over 1,000 fake accounts working to shape online discourse surrounding the United States-China trade war in Beijing's favor.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. State Department via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The 90-day ceasefire reached in Geneva, Switzerland, by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reduced duties on imported Chinese and U.S. goods by 145 and 125 percent, respectively. While the deal paused what had become a near-total embargo and bought negotiators time, tensions remain.
Trump has said the tariffs were necessary to end "unfair" treatment of U.S. exports, revive domestic manufacturing, and close the trade deficit with the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner. In its political messaging, Beijing has sought to rally other countries targeted by tariffs and cast itself as a defender of the global trade order, standing up to bullying.
What To Know
Graphika, a New York-based company that leverages AI to analyze online communities, says it has identified a network of more than 1,000 X (formerly Twitter) accounts seeking to influence perceptions of the trade war in the social media space.
"This included using fake personas purporting to be users in the U.S. and other countries, stealing content from authentic users, and the coordinated amplification of hashtags and media articles," the firm said in a report released Tuesday.
Social media accounts posing as real users posted and amplified content promoting the narrative that President Donald Trump's tariffs would harm American livelihoods and the global economy.
This file photo shows social media apps Bluesky, X, and Truth Social on a smartphone.
This file photo shows social media apps Bluesky, X, and Truth Social on a smartphone.
Getty Images
Other accounts advanced messages focused on international pushback to the U.S. from countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Suspected accounts in the network were reportedly easy to spot due to their "coordinated and inauthentic behaviors," Graphika said.
For instance, most featured combinations of Western first and last names, with both parts capitalized and joined, such as "BriannaShaw." The most commonly used default usernames are of a format assigned to new accounts, containing long sequences of random digits such as @GeorgeZip35528260.
Some accounts listed self-reported locations with glaring errors, such as repeating the same U.S. state three times.
Graphika said it was unable to definitively link the accounts to a specific actor or known influence operation.
"However, based on an analysis of content disseminated by the operation and similarities between the identified behaviors and past influence operations attributed to Chinese state actors, we assess that the network operator(s) were very likely aligned with the interests of China," the company said.
What People Are Saying
Chinese President Xi Jinping told representatives from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States on May 13: "There are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars. Bullying or hegemonism only leads to self-isolation."
What Happens Next
Prices for some consumer goods are still expected to rise, though the three-month truce has averted the worst cost hikes.
Pending a deal, the U.S. retains a 30 percent tariff on Chinese goods—10 percent as a baseline, in line with most other countries, and an additional 20 percent tied to China's role as a major source of chemical precursors for fentanyl. China maintains a 10 percent baseline tariff on U.S. goods.
Graphika said it expects influence operations to continue seeking to shape online perceptions of U.S. trade policy.