China Learning From Russia’s “Emerging Great Power” Global Media Tactics April 12, 2021 02:00 PM Age: 2 hours Image: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart Sergei Lavrov speak to the press after their meeting in Moscow, Russia on September 11, 2020. The two sides agreed to “make comprehensive preparations for future high-level interactions and…further cooperation in various areas” including cyber and information security (Image source: Xinhua). Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers observed that China has employed newly assertive tactics—including spreading widespread Russian-style disinformation—which suggested that “Beijing is increasingly seeking to shape the global information environment beyond its borders” (Alliance for Security Democracy, March 30, 2020). Chinese propaganda researchers and academics have closely studied the example of Russian media organs such as Russia Today (RT), and explicitly view the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to improve external propaganda, including deepening cooperation with their Russian counterparts.