The European Union’s anti-fake news agency, EUvsDisinfo, is looking to counter Chinese propaganda, especially as it relates to the war in Ukraine.
EUvsDisinfo, a project from the European External Action Service, published two reports in Chinese over the past few weeks about misinformation on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Euronews.
“Among the litany of lies Russia has spread about its war in Ukraine, disinformation that Ukraine is developing biological weapons is particularly insidious,” the European External Action Service said in a translated tweet originally posted in Chinese.
“The rumor not only attempts to justify the brutal Russian invasion, but also denigrates legitimate biological and epidemiological research around the world, jeopardizing global public health,” the tweet added.
The reports marked the first time the organization published content in Chinese, as it typically publishes its reports in European languages.
A spokesperson from the EU Commission told Euronews that the reports were intended “to provide Chinese-speaking audiences with fact-based information to help raise awareness of disinformation surrounding the war in Ukraine.”
“In the past, EUvsDisinfo has reported on alignment between pro-Kremlin and Chinese State-affiliated and State-controlled sources, for example on COVID-19, human rights violations in Xinjiang, Afghanistan and Ukraine. It has also covered China’s messaging around Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” the...
A popular social media conspiracy theory about a recent cluster of hantavirus cases claims that the word “hanta” means “scam,” “fraud,” or “nonsense” in “Hebrew slang.” That’s more or less where t...