Trump has charged the CIA with an influence operation in China

"Two years into his presidency, Donald Trump has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to launch a covert operation targeting Chinese social media to sway public opinion against President Xi Jinping's government."
This was revealed by American officials who are directly familiar with the operation, reported Diario AS.
According to Joel Schechtman and Christopher Bing, the CIA formed a special team tasked with spreading negative narratives about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its leadership, using fake online profiles to spread disparaging content while providing intelligence to foreign information agencies. The previously undisclosed effort underscores escalating tensions between the U.S. and China amid Beijing's expanding global influence.
The campaign strategically highlights allegations of CCP corruption and criticizes China's Belt and Road Initiative, a cornerstone of its foreign policy of infrastructure development. Although the specific details of these operations remain undisclosed, former officials say the accounts were based on factual information, albeit spread under false pretenses.
"We wanted to chase them like ghosts," noted one former official, underscoring the intention to sow paranoia in China's leadership and strain resources to monitor online activity. However, the impact and current status of the operation under the Biden administration remain uncertain, with White House and CIA officials refusing to comment on its existence or continuity./BGNES