Beijing, August 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
China is continuing to expand influence operations across the Indo-Pacific, including attempts to shape public opinion around elections through disinformation and narratives aligned with Beijing’s strategic interests, according to a report published by The Diplomat.
The report, authored by Osawa Jun, Senior Fellow at Tokyo’s Nakasone Peace Institute, highlighted alleged Chinese influence activity during Japan’s House of Representatives election earlier this year.
According to the report, posts circulated on X promoting narratives portraying Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae as a militarist and questioning Japan’s ability to prevail in a Taiwan contingency. Some of the Japanese-language posts reportedly contained traces of simplified Chinese, while certain images resembled material used by Chinese government-affiliated media. The narratives also broadly reflected Chinese government talking points.
The report said Chinese influence operations have targeted elections across the Indo-Pacific since the 2020s. Taiwan’s local elections in 2018 and 2022 were among those where disinformation was attributed to China, while the 2024 presidential election saw disinformation targeting members of the Democratic Progressive Party who were distancing themselves from Beijing.
The report also referred to allegations of Chinese interference in US politics. On July 16, US President Donald Trump said Chinese influence operations had targeted the 2020 presidential election and referred to US intelligence documents concerning the alleged acquisition and use of voter data.
Trump alleged that China had obtained 220 million US voter files and claimed that intelligence agencies had discovered voter information being bought, stolen or hacked. He also alleged that a Chinese data exploitation unit had been assigned to the effort.
China has also faced allegations of influence operations in Australia, while security authorities in the Philippines reported alleged China-backed influence activities during the country’s 2025 midterm and local elections. The report said concerns have also emerged over possible attempts to influence the Philippines’ 2028 presidential election.
The report further highlighted alleged Chinese influence activities in South Pacific island nations. In the Solomon Islands, disinformation reportedly claimed that the US had interfered in the country’s 2024 elections, while allegations that Washington sought to assassinate the pro-China prime minister have circulated since 2023.
The developments, according to the report, underline the increasingly broad geographic reach of China’s alleged influence operations and the challenges they pose to electoral processes and public opinion across the Indo-Pacific.
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