KARACHI:

More than three decades ago, Richard Nixon foresaw China’s emergence as a major global power in the 21st century. The former US president suggested that if the then relatively young republic continued its economic and political reforms, it could indeed come to define the new era.

Nixon, whose 1972 visit to China was a landmark moment in diplomacy, also predicted that Washington and Beijing would need to collaborate on shared interests while navigating their differences. He was not alone in his forward-thinking approach to US-China relations. In 2000, Bill Clinton urged Congress to ratify a trade agreement and support China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. Since leaving office, Clinton has maintained that Washington must balance cooperation with Beijing while remaining competitive.

Fast forward to 2024: Five decades after Nixon’s landmark meeting with Chairman Mao, China has solidified its position as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse and a pivotal market for international businesses. Beijing's rising prominence is further strengthened by its leadership in global research and development (R&D) and its growing influence in technological and scientific innovation.

Yet, as China advances, the recent generation of US leaders face a complex challenge. Their efforts to preserve America’s position as the only superstate often clash with the reality of a shifting balance of power. As Beijing’s influence grows, Washington faces an international landscape where its dominance is no longer assured. In pursuing its geopolitical objectives, the US has, more often than not, engaged in actions against China that many critics argue undermine its reputation as a champion of democracy. One recent example of such measures by the US was its clandestine effort during the Covid pandemic to undermine China’s medical initiatives. A Reuters investigation has uncovered how the US military conducted a covert anti-vaccine campaign aimed at discrediting China’s efforts to distribute Covid-19 vaccines globally. 

Health and diplomacy experts have condemned this approach as indefensible, noting that it jeopardized millions of lives during the peak of the pandemic. Despite these concerns, the Pentagon pressed on with its actions.

During the height of the global pandemic, which saw millions of deaths due to vaccine shortages, the US military, under President Donald Trump, launched a secret operation targeting China’s influence in the Philippines, a country severely affected by the virus. According to the Reuters probe, this covert campaign sought to cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other medical aid provided by Beijing. The operation involved creating fake internet accounts designed to mimic local voices in the Philippines, evolving into a complex anti-vaccine propaganda effort. A flurry of social media posts at the time criticized the quality of face masks, test kits, and China's Sinovac vaccine, despite its approval by the World Health Organization and other health authorities.

In its report, Reuters identified at least 300 accounts on X, formerly Twitter, that fit descriptions provided by former US military officials familiar with the operation. Most of these accounts were created in the summer of 2020 and promoted the hashtag #Chinaangvirus—Tagalog for “China is the virus.” This campaign ran parallel to Trump’s public statements blaming China for the virus’s origin in a Wuhan lab. The former US president, who showed little restraint, publicly referred to the Covid-19 virus as the "Chinese virus," a label that contributed to a surge in violence against Asian Americans. This rhetoric, largely fueled by the president's own anti-China messaging, was later criticized by experts as an attempt by the White House to divert attention from its failures to address the pandemic effectively in the US.

Initially focused on Southeast Asia, the misinformation operation eventually expanded to Central Asia and even the Middle East. The US military, the report said, employed a network of fake social media accounts across various platforms to instill fear about China’s vaccines, targeting Muslim audiences with the controversial claim that some vaccines might be considered forbidden under Islamic law due to their use of pork gelatin. The campaign intensified as the deadly respiratory virus was claiming tens of thousands of lives each day worldwide.

Despite warnings from social media executives about the Pentagon’s dissemination of Covid-19 misinformation, the campaign continued into Joe Biden’s administration.  It wasn’t until the spring of 2021 that the Biden White House issued a directive to halt the anti-vaccine effort, which had also included disparaging vaccines from other competitors. Subsequently, Reuters reported that the Pentagon initiated an internal review. 

“The American strategy vis-à-vis China aims to prevent Beijing from achieving superpower status. Unfortunately, this approach has miscalculated the situation. China is already emerging as a major power, and US actions only portray it as a desperate, declining force willing to undermine its own democratic principles—principles often used as a benchmark for assessing democratic systems worldwide,” said Dr. Talat Wizarat, former chairperson of the Department of International Relations at the University of Karachi. 

“It is highly inappropriate for a nation that positions itself as the global guardian of democracy to engage in actions that compromise the wellbeing of millions—especially during a global health crisis where every effort to prevent deaths should have been supported,” Wizarat added. 

While Reuters did not receive confirmation or comment from officials in either the Trump or Biden administrations regarding the propaganda campaign, the report did cite a senior Pentagon official who acknowledged the existence of the misinformation effort targeting vaccines and China’s broader assistance efforts in managing Covid-19. According to the Reuters investigation, the fake accounts created by the military accumulated tens of thousands of followers during the campaign. However, the news agency was unable to determine the extent to which the anti-vaccine content and other disinformation spread by the Pentagon were viewed, or how significantly these posts may have influenced vaccination rates and contributed to Covid-related deaths. Nonetheless, authorities in the Philippines recorded a peak in Covid-19 deaths and a decline in vaccination rates at the same time, a trend that frustrated then-President Rodrigo Duterte. In June 2021, a visibly exasperated Duterte threatened to arrest those who refused to get vaccinated, declaring, “Choose: vaccine or jail,” during a televised address. “There is a crisis in this country … I’m just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government.”

At the time, Duterte issued the warning, the Philippines had one of the lowest inoculation rates in Southeast Asia. Reuters reported that just 2.1 million of its 114 million citizens were fully vaccinated—well below the government’s target of 70 million at that point. Experts in the country now believe the challenges in ramping up vaccination efforts during the peak of the pandemic contributed to the country’s highest death rate in the entire region. 

Reuters further revealed that in the process of implementing the anti-vaccine campaign, the US Department of Defense even ignored strong objections from senior US diplomats in Southeast Asia. Sources involved in the planning and execution of the campaign reported that the Pentagon, operating through the military’s psychological operations center in Tampa, Florida, overlooked the potential collateral damage of its propaganda on innocent Filipinos. 

“Such efforts by Washington reveal a blatant disregard for human rights, humanity, and the global norms it claims to champion at international forums that support its hegemony,” said Wizarat. “The blood of those who died in the Philippines and elsewhere during the pandemic is on the hands of the Pentagon bosses who thought it was appropriate to conduct such a vicious campaign,” she added. “Instead of supporting efforts to unite the world, they chose to divide it by spreading misinformation that cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid supplied by China.”

Since being uncovered by Reuters, the program has faced widespread criticism within the United States. In an interview with the news agency, Greg Treverton, former chairman of the US National Intelligence Council—which oversees the analysis and strategy of Washington’s intelligence agencies—stated that it would have been in the country’s best interest to ensure as many people as possible were vaccinated globally. The Pentagon’s actions, Treverton added, “cross a line.”  

Providing historical context, Wizarat noted that the US has developed a reputation as an anti-democratic force, despite its self-proclaimed role as a champion of democracy. She pointed out that President Nixon, who had championed improved relations with China, was implicated in covert operations against Salvador Allende, Chile’s democratically elected leader.

Administration files and documents, now declassified, suggest that Nixon, in 1970, met with a rightwing Chilean media mogul to discuss blocking the socialist leader’s path to the presidency.  

The day before that meeting, a Guardian article reported that Edwards had met with then-Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Richard Helms to plan efforts aimed at preventing Allende’s inauguration.  The Chilean leader had narrowly defeated his rival, Jorge Alessandri, in the presidential election, but with no clear majority, the electoral system at the time required Congress to ratify the candidate who would form a government.  In secret, and with the backing of Nixon’s White House, a plan was devised for the military to seize power, dissolve Congress, and block Allende’s inauguration. “The rest,” Wizarat said, “is recorded by history.” This move paved the way for General Augusto Pinochet, whose dictatorship was marked by widespread human rights abuses and the deaths of thousands in Chile.

It is astonishing—or perhaps not—that more than 50 years later, the US is still engaged in efforts to block, thwart, undermine, and destabilize democracies and governments around the world,” Wizarat said. “This misinformation campaign during the pandemic cannot be dismissed as merely a military operation – it had far-reaching consequences in the countries where it unfolded."

Mistrust campaign 

While the US government pressured social media platforms to eliminate misinformation related to vaccines and the pandemic domestically, its military, with the president’s approval, conducted a massive campaign abroad that contradicted its stated domestic and international stance on false narratives.

When asked to comment on the consequences, Dr Melissa Beattie, who is associated with the Southern New Hampshire University said: “I don’t believe anyone should intentionally spread disinformation, regardless of their system of government. The consequences of any disinformation campaign are the same: it undermines public trust in institutions, especially during a crisis.”

On the US military’s use of bots and other social media tools to amplify mistrust of China’s vaccine, Beattie, an expert in propaganda and textual analysis, remarked, “It’s not ethical to use bots in that manner, although I don’t believe bots should never be used.” Conversely, she suggested that deploying bots to regularly share reliable information could be acceptable to ensure consistent messaging during a crisis.

“What the Department of Defense did was wrong, and at least some parts of the US government have acknowledged and condemned it,” said Beattie.

“While all countries should be criticized for engaging in disinformation campaigns, the involvement of segments of the US government does undermine its credibility. However, the public criticism from other parts of the US government and the broader citizenry indicates a recognition that state-sponsored disinformation campaigns are unacceptable,”  she added.  

Beattie cautioned that such actions from Washington could embolden other countries to engage more freely in similar misinformation campaigns.

When asked whether military establishments should be permitted to manipulate narratives, Beattie responded: “Misinformation, even when it arises from genuine errors made in good faith, is damaging enough in non-crisis situations. Intentionally putting lives at risk to score political points is unacceptable, regardless of the circumstances.”

Defined by rivalry

Both Washington and Beijing have clashed over nearly every global issue, from an ongoing trade war to the competition for technological dominance, which many experts believe China has already achieved. China’s rapid expansion in the production of electric vehicles and other green technologies has ignited a fresh trade dispute with the US, as mentioned by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during her recent five-day visit to Beijing.

This surge in producing affordable electric vehicles, solar panels, and batteries comes as the Biden administration advances similar technological initiatives in the United States. The development has not only sparked concern in the US, but also sent ripples through Europe, where fears are growing that China’s expanded exports could undermine local industries and deepen economic strains abroad.

According to Dr. Wizarat, Washington remains in denial. “The US has struggled to accept China’s ascent, despite predictions from its own leaders and experts who closely study the nation.”  

Dr. Wizarat emphasized that the way forward is not to obstruct or attempt to impede Beijing’s progress. “Such actions would be counterproductive, as we are already witnessing.”

“Rather than blocking or undermining China, US leaders should pursue a foreign policy that allows engagement with Beijing on the most critical global issues. Both nations should collaborate and share responsibility as global powers.”

Dr. Wizarat warned that if the US remains in denial, it will continue to harm the global community, as evidenced by its covert misinformation operations against China during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The two nations have frequently exchanged barbs over various issues. Recently, the US launched a new campaign against Beijing, accusing it of orchestrating a cyberattack that could have damaged civilian infrastructure and disrupted lives of millions of citizens. The Chinese government has countered these allegations, presenting evidence to refute the claims.

This Cold War-style approach by Washington, Wizarat said, is not the solution to global problems. "The US must recognize China’s position and strengths and learn to work collaboratively with it,” Dr. Wizarat concluded.