EU Report: Cross-border Information Suppression by the CCP Causes Concern

The European Union recently released its 2025 report on “Information Integrity and Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference,” highlighting the ongoing “cross-border information suppression” by the Chinese Communist Party as one of the most concerning aspects of the EU’s challenges with “Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference” (FIMI). Experts have pointed out that the CCP seeks to exploit democratic and diverse societies in the West to sow division, and the international community needs to expose the CCP’s wrongdoings.

The report, officially published by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on March 14th, emphasizes that FIMI, including false information, poses an increasingly serious threat to the security and foreign policy of the EU. The EU’s primary concerns regarding FIMI threats stem from communist China and Russia.

According to the EEAS report, “China (CCP) is a multifaceted FIMI actor with a diverse ‘arsenal’,” which includes “economic coercion, transnational repression, and cyber threats.” The CCP’s FIMI behavior involves “establishing its influence in the global information space while suppressing critical voices.”

The report identifies the CCP’s continuous “cross-border information suppression” targeting overseas “businesses, civic groups, universities, government agencies, and overseas Chinese” as one of the most worrisome CCP FIMI behaviors that the EU faces.

Yi-Shuo Tseng, Deputy Researcher at the Cyber Security Institute for National Defense Studies in Taiwan, noted that Chinese students affiliated with the CCP within university campuses tend to exhibit aggressive behavior, directly confronting and refuting those questioning the official actions of China (CCP).

Regarding overseas civic groups and dissenters, apart from online defamation, the CCP’s “cross-border information suppression” involves more nefarious actions. Tseng stated, “Overseas civic groups and diaspora communities are concerned and have personally experienced the substantive use of thugs or overseas public security to harass and coerce, which is the most worrisome. Concerns of overseas businesses include the dissemination of information detrimental to their operations, which is a worry for overseas companies in commercial activities.”

Rong-Wei Lai, Executive Director of the Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA), highlighted that the CCP’s “cross-border information suppression” is a strategy utilized to exploit the democracies and diversity of Western countries. He emphasized, “Within a country, there are various diverse groups, and the CCP uses different opinions from these groups to influence the unity and cohesion between the government and society.”

“He (CCP) exploits the different national interests among the U.S. and the EU, economic development issues, and national strategic concerns, sowing discord among the democratic nations of America and Europe.”

“He (CCP) aims to divide democratic societies further, undermining unity within democratic countries and the solidarity between the EU and the U.S.”

Moreover, the EU report found that in expanding its media influence globally and aligning with the CCP’s narrative, the CCP operates fake news sites overseas, translating and rewriting content from official Chinese media to suit different linguistic and stylistic preferences in various countries. Additionally, the CCP substantially increases the employment of public relations companies and overseas internet celebrities to “manufacture, amplify, or whitewash” information that aligns with the CCP’s global political interests.

Tseng noted that the CCP continues to expand its penetration and influence overseas worldwide as part of its consistent united front tactics, an integral part of its influence operations. However, “if they align with Beijing’s rhetoric, there will be a specific public opinion discourse and slogans that make it easily identifiable.”

Lai urged people to expose the CCP’s wrongdoings, false narratives, and methods of producing fake news to ensure that both the domestic population and the international community are aware of these activities.

He also called for global cooperation to prevent countries from becoming breeding grounds for the dissemination or production of CCP’s false information.