By Xhabir Deralla
China’s global influence is often conveniently labeled as soft power – a benign form of diplomacy rooted in economic investments, cultural exchanges, and infrastructure projects. This framing is particularly visible in analyses of Beijing’s role in post-communist countries and the Global South. But in the brutal context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, this characterization is not only inaccurate – it is dangerously misleading.
China’s state-controlled media amplify Kremlin propaganda. Its deepening economic ties with Russia inject fresh resources into Putin’s war machine. And its silence in the face of the Kremlin’s genocidal war against Ukrainians is deafening. This is most certainly not soft power. China has made a strategic choice: to participate in hybrid warfare, not overtly – with tanks and missiles – but through disinformation, economic lifelines, and calculated silence. It is a not-so-quiet form of complicity in a war against the very foundations of peace and security across the world.
Despite repeated claims of neutrality, China has supported Russia’s political positions and war narratives from the very beginning. Chinese officials frequently express understanding for Russia’s so-called “security concerns” while condemning Western sanctions and refusing to acknowledge the reality of Russian aggression. Is that neutrality? Or just an impudent mockery of reality?
Meanwhile, Chinese state media and social platforms have become fertile ground for disinformation, conspiracy theories, and anti-Western sentiment. In full alignment with Russia’s information warfare strategy, China works not only to justify – but to decisively enable – genocidal war, while actively undermining Western responses. This is not passive alignment. It is strategic coordination. And it is most clearly reflected in the relentless propaganda pushed by Beijing’s state-controlled media and social networks.
One of the most troubling “achievements” of China’s pro-Kremlin propaganda is its real-world impact. Ukrainian authorities have reported the recruitment of Chinese nationals to fight alongside Russian forces, often through platforms like TikTok. According to Ukrainian intelligence, over 150 Chinese mercenaries are believed to be involved in the conflict. The Chinese government denies any official involvement. However, the organized recruitment and participation of its citizens raise serious questions about the depth and nature of China’s (in)direct support for Putin’s war.
Our military has captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army. This happened on Ukrainian territory—in the Donetsk region. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their possession.
We have information suggesting that… pic.twitter.com/ekBr6hCkQL
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 8, 2025
The very notion of China’s soft power is a manufactured narrative—carefully cultivated by Chinese propaganda to mask its real, hard-edged global ambitions. Through cultural diplomacy, economic partnerships, and state-controlled media, China has engineered the image of a benevolent development partner, a neutral peacemaker, and a stabilizing global force. But this image is no accident. It is deliberately constructed to disarm critics, attain influence, and conceal coercion behind a kind diplomatic smile.
Beneath the surface of “soft power” lies a far more aggressive strategy—one that weaponizes trade, exploits global crises, and empowers authoritarian allies through corruption, power plays, and control. The illusion of soft power is not just misleading; it is part of the plan—a calculated propaganda effort designed not only to win hearts and minds, but to hide the true nature of China’s role in global hybrid warfare.
Propaganda, not peace: How Chinese propaganda works
Since February 2022, Chinese state media have taken a clear and consistent stance: support the Kremlin, deflect blame from Russia, and undermine Western support for Ukraine.
From the very outset of the war, the scale and intent of China’s disinformation campaign were unmistakable. According to a report by Reporters Without Borders, a false claim circulated by China’s CCTV in late February 2022 – that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had fled Kyiv – was viewed over 510 million times on the Chinese platform Weibo and reproduced by 163 media outlets across the country. This wasn’t an isolated incident; it was a coordinated mass dissemination of Russian disinformation.
Outlets like CGTN, Xinhua, and Global Times have since become consistent amplifiers of some of the Kremlin’s most toxic narratives:
- NATO is to blame for the war;
- Ukraine is run by neo-Nazis;
- Russia is merely defending itself from Western encroachment.
Among the many falsehoods promoted by Chinese state broadcasters is the baseless claim that the United States has been developing biological weapons in Ukraine. This fabrication, born in Moscow, has been elevated to global circulation largely thanks to China’s vast, coordinated information networks.
And this messaging is not confined to domestic audiences. Chinese narratives are broadcast internationally in multiple languages, targeting viewers in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Balkans, and parts of Europe – regions where Chinese influence has expanded through infrastructure projects, state media partnerships, and soft power diplomacy. But that is diplomacy as a smokescreen. It is the soft power that precedes the hard edge of authoritarian influence. It is the diplomacy that comes before the aggression.
The aim is clear: to sow doubt, spread confusion, and delegitimize the Western response to Russian aggression. It is war propaganda, plain and simple – not journalism. It is a propaganda operation cloaked in the language of “balanced reporting,” part of a psychological battlefield designed to weaken international resolve and fracture support for Ukraine.
In short, China has joined Russia on the disinformation front – and not only there. Its involvement extends to the battlefield in multiple indirect but impactful ways.
Silent weapons: Trade that fuels the Kremlin’s war economy
While Western democracies have imposed sweeping sanctions on the Kremlin, China has exploited the vacuum to deepen economic ties with Moscow, especially in energy, technology, and agriculture.
Chinese companies are purchasing Russian oil and gas at steeply discounted prices. Despite the underpricing, these transactions still funnel billions into the Russian economy—stabilizing the ruble and sustaining the military-industrial complex that drives the war against Ukraine.
But it’s not only China. The West, too, continues—directly and indirectly—to fund Putin’s war machine. According to a recent BBC investigation, since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has earned more than €883 billion from fossil fuel exports, including €228 billion from countries that officially imposed sanctions. The lion’s share—€209 billion—came from EU member states.
Pipeline gas continues to flow to parts of Europe, and Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports have reached record levels, with half of that volume still going to the EU. In addition, the so-called “refining loophole” allows Russian oil to be processed in countries like Turkey and India, then re-exported as fuel to Western nations, legally bypassing sanctions.
The result is staggering: Russia continues to earn far more from energy exports to the West than Ukraine receives in total military and economic aid from its allies. Western energy dependency, loopholes, and lack of political will have severely weakened the intended impact of sanctions—while helping bankroll a genocidal war.
Still, while Western complicity is rooted in inertia and economic caution, China’s role is far more deliberate and strategic—openly aligned with Moscow’s political, economic, and ideological agenda.
China is not neutral. It is exploiting sanctions to strengthen its own position while materially enabling Putin’s war. Beijing has also provided dual-use technologies and components that can be used in military applications, all while maintaining a public posture of restraint.
The reality is clear: China is economically supporting a war criminal regime. Its actions help undermine the effectiveness of Western sanctions and prolong the war. Every yuan spent on Russian oil is another brick in the wall of Putin’s resistance to international law and accountability.
A global operation: Authoritarian solidarity and disinformation
China’s influence doesn’t stop at its borders. It extends through media partnerships, development deals, and cultural exchange programs that replicate or adapt the same narratives China promotes at home.
In many countries, especially those with weak press freedom or authoritarian leanings, local media outlets echo Chinese and Russian disinformation, portraying the West as destabilizing, hypocritical, and decadent, while painting Russia and China as defenders of sovereignty and tradition.
In parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, we see a growing trend: a convergence of authoritarian propaganda narratives that downplay war crimes, question Ukraine’s legitimacy, and reframe the conflict as part of a global ideological struggle between “the West” and the “rest.”
This is no accident. It is part of a long-term strategy to erode global trust in democratic systems, weaken Western unity, and embolden autocracies. What we’re witnessing is not mere media bias—it is the propaganda front of a broader hybrid war. A war that doesn’t need bombs to threaten global peace and the right to exist in a democratic world.
Disinformation is the weapon. Wake up or watch democracy die.
To describe China’s behavior as soft power is to fall into a trap of our own making. There is nothing soft about disinformation, economic complicity, or silent endorsement of genocide.
Beijing has chosen its side: not with words of condemnation, but through the amplification of Russian lies, the purchase of Russian oil, and the legitimization of imperialist aggression. Call it what it is: alignment, not neutrality.
As democracies struggle to respond to the most dangerous war in Europe since WWII, we must wake up to the new axis of disinformation and hybrid aggression. China may not be firing missiles in Ukraine, but it is helping fuel the war through its media, its trade, and its silence.
China is powerful enough to play a constructive role in ending Russia’s war of aggression. It possesses the economic influence, diplomatic experience and access to the Kremlin, and global standing to pressure Moscow and support efforts to restore peace. Such a move would only enhance its international position and credibility as a global leader.
But Beijing has made a different choice. It does not see itself as part of a world grounded in democracy, freedom, and the right of sovereign nations to exist in peace. Instead, China reveals itself – quite consistently – as an authoritarian state that disregards international law, enables wars of aggression, and silently condones genocide.
The real action starts with correct naming. It is time we stopped calling that “soft.” And take real action to save lives and preserve freedom and peace. Or just say goodnight to the world as we know it.
This article was originally published by CIVIL Today and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt the material, provided appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is included, and any changes made are indicated.
Author: Xhabir Deralla
Source: www.civil.today
License: CC BY 4.0
Parts of this article were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI developed by OpenAI. The tool was used to support research, editing, and structure. Final responsibility for the content remains solely with the author. This transparent use of AI aims to promote media literacy and awareness about the constructive role AI can play in journalism and public dialogue.
