China’s Battle For Global Public Opinion

The Hoover Institution hosts China's Battle for Global Public Opinion on Tuesday, April 13 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. PT.

The Chinese Communist Party's efforts to shape global narratives go beyond just “telling China’s story.” They also include coercive and covert tactics that may undermine democratic norms, violate local laws, and weaken independent media. Ms. Cook will unpack the challenges that Xi Jinping’s self-described campaign to win the public opinion “battlefield” poses to media freedom worldwide, address how governments, tech firms, and civil society organizations are responding, and offer recommendations for effectively enhancing those initiatives.

Featuring Ms. Sarah Cook, Research Director for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Freedom House. Followed by conversation with Dr. Glenn Tiffert, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Sarah Cook is Research Director for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at Freedom House, an NGO focused on political rights and civil liberties. She directs the China Media Bulletin, a monthly digest in English and Chinese providing news and analysis on media freedom developments related to China. Ms. Cook is the author of several Asian country reports for Freedom House’s annual publications, as well as four special reports about China, including: Beijing's Global Megaphone (2020), and The Battle for China’s Spirit (2017). She has twice served as an NGO delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva. In 2021, she published a report on China’s Global Media Footprint with the National Endowment for Democracy.

Dr. Glenn Tiffert is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he manages its project on China’s Global Sharp Power. A historian of modern China, Dr. Tiffert works closely with government and civil society partners in the United States and elsewhere around the world to document and build resilience against authoritarian interference with democratic institutions, particularly in the knowledge sector.