A new report has taken aim at China’s response to a series of riots in the Solomon Islands last year
The new damming report has found China ran a smear campaign against western nations in the Solomon Islands.
After riots back in November 2021, the Chinese Communist Party published a number of false stories, blaming the unrest on Australia and the U.S.
The report says Chinese diplomats intensified their criticisms of western leaders, while state media tried to paint Australia and the U.S. as bullies.
It analysed Chinese state information campaigns in the Solomon Islands over a period spanning 18 weeks.
But the campaign had limited success.
Of the 67 articles published by China, only 11 were shared on public Facebook pages, and this is where the vast majority of Solomon Islanders access their news content.
However, the researchers warn this isn’t an excuse for Australian and American officials to relax.
Urging the two western nations to increase their engagement with media in the Pacific on-cam to further counter China’s influence in the region before it’s too late.
