Congress tackles China’s online ‘manipulation efforts’ including TikTok: Rise of CCP ‘deception’ techniques has U.S. on alert as new survey reveals majority of Americans view China as ‘greatest threat’

Lawmakers are focused on how to combat Chinese online manipulation tactics as the hostile nation expands its “deception” tactics – through TikTok and other methods – putting the US on high alert.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Affairs, is holding a hearing Thursday on how the U.S. can effectively counter China’s propaganda efforts to corrupt Americans.

According to an opening speech obtained by DailyMail.com, Gallagher says China’s top priority is winning the “minds” of Westerners.

“On the ‘smokeless battlefield’ in people’s minds, we don’t have a standing army at all,” says Gallagher, “and that makes it extremely difficult to fight back.

“TikTok is the perfect weapon, hidden in plain sight,” he continues. The committee plans to examine evidence of how TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has bolstered China’s “discursive power.”

“TikTok is perhaps the largest malicious influence operation ever conducted,” Gallagher said.

Congress’ increased focus on China this week comes as Reagan’s annual National Defense Poll, released Thursday, found that 51 percent of Americans view China as the “greatest threat to the United States.”

This figure is up significantly from last year, when Americans responded to China by just 43 percent.

Additionally, an overwhelming number of Americans (77 percent) view China as an enemy, while only 15 percent consider the communist state an “ally.” And 42 percent of respondents consider China a “strong” enemy.

This is a stark change from 2018 results, which found that only 55 percent of Americans view China as an enemy and 38 percent as an ally.

Additionally, the poll found that only 46 percent of Americans trust the U.S. military, down 25 points from 2018.

Respondents also supported more cash aid for Israel and Ukraine as Congress debates whether they will approve the Biden administration’s $105 billion request for additional funding.

Thursday’s prime-time hearing will feature testimony from experts John Garnaut of Garnaut Global, Miles Yu of the Hudson Institute and Yaqiu Wang of Freedom House.

Gallagher says he plans to ask witnesses how best to “fight back on the battlefield of human minds” while remaining “true to our values.”

Garanut says the CCP uses its “discursive power” through propaganda, diplomacy, proxies, and covert operations.

Other senior lawmakers have raised alarm about China’s “deceptive” online tactics.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy, the ranking member of the China Committee, warned about the CCP’s use of “deepfake” videos that could mislead Americans seeking basic information about the day’s news.

He showed a deepfake video of former President Donald Trump speaking Chinese, as well as another video falsely suggesting the Biden administration was behind wildfires on the island of Maui.

“I condemn the CCP’s increasingly misleading online campaigns against the United States and other countries. The CCP has made it clear that it will use any tactic to spread its evil intentions. TikTok is not the only threat to democracy,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told DailyMail.com.

“The Biden administration must remain vigilant against Beijing’s manipulations and not tolerate this type of aggression.”

During the hearing, Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., said there were “problems” with top universities taking money from China.

The University of California at Berkeley “received $220 million from the CCP.” I never reported it,” she said.

The congresswoman also expressed concern about the CCP’s control of American ports and crane data tracking systems.

“We have no problems with the Chinese. We have problems with the CCP,” she said.

Earlier this week, the Chinese committee released a memorandum outlining that the United States has little understanding of the depth of China’s network of espionage and influence operations spanning the country.

Details of the memo show that the US has failed to counter Beijing’s infiltration and the situation could worsen.

The threat comes from the united front, a political strategy that Xi Jinping has called his “magic weapon.”

This is a plan that the CCP uses to influence beyond its circle, without the information coming directly from the Chinese government.

China spends billions every year on the united front system. According to a 2020 Newsweek report, the United Front is affiliated with approximately 600 groups in the United States, all of which maintain regular contact with the CCP.

“The United Front’s work harms U.S. interests through legal and illegal technology transfer, surveillance of Chinese diaspora communities, promotion of favorable narratives about the PRC through supposedly independent voices, and neutralization or persecution of CCP critics,” the new report states.

“The United States has no direct equivalent, and the U.S. government struggles to counter united front efforts through traditional counterintelligence, law enforcement and diplomatic tools,” he warned.

This briefing note is intended to encourage Americans to remain vigilant if they become the target of Chinese influence operations.