A Chinese-backed spamouflage operation posing as Spanish nationals sought to use the catastrophic flooding that hit Valencia, Spain, in October to instigate the overthrow of the country’s government. Disguising themselves as Safeguard Defenders and allegedly based in Spain‘s capital of Madrid, the Chinese agents were active from November through January on the Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), BlueSky, and TikTok social media platforms.
The social media accounts—comprised of Chinese operatives posing as Westerners—posted and amplified content critical of both Spain’s central government in Madrid and of Carlos Mazon, Valencia’s regional governor. The posts, predominantly in English and Spanish, focused primarily on the deadly floods that resulted in the deaths of 200 people.
Aside from amplifying public anger towards Mazon—who many Valencia residents called on to step down amidst his mishandling of the disaster—the Chinese spamouflage operation also targeted Spain’s King Felipe VI and far-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The exposure of the social media influence operation suggests the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is less interested in promoting a uniform leftist ideology around the globe. Instead, it seeks to actively undermine Western governments which it sees as even remotely aligned with the interests of the European Union and the United States.
The National Pulse previously reported on a similar and complex Chinese spamouflage operation in the United States during the 2024 presidential election. Chinese agents, using social media, posed as American supporters of President Donald J. Trump and amplified conspiratorial content, such as claims that President Joe Biden is a “Satanist pedophile,” to discredit the MAGA movement. Again, the Chinese aims were less about promoting leftist ideology but instead sowing discord to accelerate the deterioration of public trust among the nation’s populace, which it views as a geopolitical rival. […]
— Read More: thenationalpulse.com
