China rejects allegations of attempting to influence media in Sri Lanka

China had rejected allegations of attempting to influence the media in Sri Lanka.

The allegations were made in a report by US-based research and advocacy firm Freedom House.

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka said that the US organization has a long track record of making false allegations on China-related issues.

“This report is not fact-based, only driven by ulterior motives” the Chinese Embassy said.

The Embassy said that the report pins labels on the normal reporting activities of the Chinese media on the grounds of their so-called affiliation, while turning a blind eye to the false reporting of some Western media. 

”We will continue to tell the world including Sri Lanka the story of China, the CPC, China’s pursuit of peaceful development, and China Sri Lanka friendship and cooperation, and work to build deeper mutual understanding between China, Sri Lanka and the rest of the world,” the Embassy said.

The report, titled “Beijing’s Global Media Influence: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience”, claims that the Chinese Government and its proxies are using more sophisticated, covert, and coercive tactics –including intensified censorship and intimidation, deployment of fake social media accounts, and increased mass distribution of Beijing-backed content via mainstream media – to spread pro-CCP narratives, promote “falsehoods”, and suppress unfavourable news coverage. (Colombo Gazette)