The many broken promises from PRC officials, including Xi, to behave ethically in international affairs demonstrate bad faith and cynicism. A U.S. response is needed to dissuade Beijing from continuing to meddle in American politics. As with other Chinese gray zone operations, however, hitting back is problematic. The PRC does not have real elections or open debates about domestic political issues, and the social media outlets that the PRC exploits to reach American audiences are banned in China.

A possible proportionate U.S. response would be to target a weak spot of the ruling regime: its fear of losing legitimacy in the eyes of the Chinese public. Xi’s government has already suffered a decrease in prestige because of widespread public pessimism about the government’s ability to manage China’s economy successfully, plus fresh bad memories of the government’s repressive counter-COVID policy, which included draconian lockdowns.

In 2012, a New York Times article documented the immense wealth built up by family members of PRC Premier Wen Jiabao. The exposé clearly jabbed a raw nerve in Zhongnanhai. The Chinese government scrambled to censor the story and discussion of it, officially dubbed it false, and later expelled a New York Times reporter as retaliation. Current top-ranking Chinese leaders are similarly vulnerable to damaging revelations about their hypocrisy (such as, for example, sending their children to colleges in the United States) from a credible foreign source.

In normal times, the United States could disregard Chinese social media influence operations as insignificant. Unfortunately, this Chinese push occurs at a time when U.S. domestic politics are highly polarized, conspiracy theories are widely believed, and procedures and institutions vital to the proper functioning of American democracy are under stress. PRC interference reinforces harmful trends that already have momentum. Under such circumstances, this malign activity might contribute to outcomes that are undesirable not only for Washington but also for Beijing.

Denny Roy is a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Image: Alexander Khitrov / Shutterstock.com​