China borrowing from Russia playbook: French military think tank
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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after a joint press briefing at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 9, 2018.
AFP – Getty Images LONDON – China’s infiltration and manipulation of the international stage is becoming increasingly common, according to a French think tank.| AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — China is increasingly aiming to infiltrate and coerce on the global stage with its operations becoming more like those associated with Russia, according to a recent report by a think tank linked to the French military.
Independent unit known as IRSEM’s French Military School Strategic Research Institute said that it noticed a shift in Beijing’s behaviour.
“For a long time, we could say that China, contrary to Russia, sought more to be loved rather than feared,” the report, published last week, said according to a CNBC translation.
It also states that Beijing’s influence operations have increased significantly over the years, and their methods are more similar to those of Moscow. Paul Charon (600 pages) and Jean-Baptiste Jeangene Vilmer (600+ pages), were the authors of this research paper.
CNBC reached out to the Chinese Embassy in London on Wednesday for clarification.
According to the French report, there are many areas in which Chinese authorities seek power expansion. The media is one of the areas where China has spent 1.3 billion euros (1.52 billion dollars) annually since 2008 to “better control its image” around the globe.
Economic coercion is also mentioned, including by depriving foreign investors of market access and imposing tariffs and embargos on them as well as boycotts. China slapped major trade restrictions on Australian goods last year after that country called for an inquiry into Covid.
In addition, the report also claims that Beijing has tried to influence the outcome of elections over the past decade — reportedly in at least 10 elections in seven countries. U.S. intelligence personnel have also accused Russia of this crime, particularly during the U.S. Presidential election 2016.
The theme of coercion in international relations was also mentioned earlier this week by the leaders of the United States, India, Japan and Australia. The four nations stated that, without mentioning China they are determined to create an Indo-Pacific region free of coercion and non-discriminatory.
France and China
France has actually been one of the most skeptical of the Western nations on U.S. efforts to limit some of China’s actions.
French President Emmanuel Macron is of the opinion that while criticizing China over human rights abuses, the EU needs to work with the nation, particularly when it comes to climate change.
In February Macron stated that “a situation to unite all against China is this scenario of highest conflictuality,” Politico reported.
He said that he considered this one to be counterproductive.
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