Propaganda Digest: This is our weekly analysis that exposes the most exaggerated, misleading, and outrageous rhetoric from recent Russian media sources, aimed at promoting critical thinking to better debunk the manipulation of Russian propaganda.
The meeting of the leaders of the United States and China is an extraordinary event in international politics. The topic of relations between Washington and Beijing dominated the front pages of the world’s media. Of course, such a high-profile event did not go unnoticed by Russian propaganda. Moscow jumped on the last step of the train, attempting to use any resonance in international relations to fuel anti-American agendas in the traditional way.
At the same time, even two days after the Biden-Xi Jinping meeting, the Kremlin is making every effort to remain silent on the news. When the regime does not take an official stance, in-house propagandists begin to “shoot the breeze.” This is exactly what happened this time.
HWAG analysts identified several dominant theses in the context of coverage of the Chinese leader’s visit to San Francisco after analyzing Russia’s information space. Some statements directly contradict each other.
Message 1:
The negotiations were a failure for the United States because the president of the United States is physically and mentally unfit for office.
What a charming old man Biden is! Russia doesn’t need to do anything: the self-propelled grandpa will quarrel with everyone.
Scott Ritter, former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer turned Russian propagandist
It’s not that important what Biden says. Blinken’s face speaks volumes. It’s the expression mothers have when their child goes on stage to recite poetry but instead of declaiming verses, starts picking their nose and repeating the same line, struggling to remember the rest.
Yulia Vityazeva, propagandist and radio host
“‘…pay attention to Blinken’s expression! He’s silent, yet all attention is on him. Is it surprise or fear – God forbid the old man blurts something out?”
Olesya Loseva, propagandist and TV host
“Joe Biden’s motorcade is racing through the streets of San Francisco to APEC-2023, where the meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping will take place. Does Biden remember where he’s going?”
Olesya Loseva, propagandist and TV host
There is some kind of image that emerges when thinking about biden. You have the great China wall with the steps, and every step is marked with a precise meaning, event – Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, cutting-edge technology, 5, 6, 7 more stairs, and every time he goes up one he falls. There is as feeling that he will never make it to the top of the so-called great China wall.
Sergey Luzyanin, professor at MGIMO – Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Message 2:
The talks between the leaders of the United States and China resulted in nothing
And that’s it? Sure, Biden said something about human rights and a whole set of other banalities, but that was for domestic consumption. Xi mentioned Taiwan and export restrictions. No alliances, no concessions – just promises to discuss further in working groups.
Marat Bashirov, HSE (Higher School of Economics) professor
Nothing good will come out of it on a strategic level because the American president, whoever they are and will be, will decide that China is dangerous and that China’s development must be slowed.
Sergei Mikheyev, propagandist and TV host
The United States is not prepared to engage in a full-fledged exchange of mutual interests. In fact, Biden repeated the same formula: cooperate where we can without shifting our position. That is, there will be no concessions. However, this strategy suits Beijing right now because it is not ready to “move” significantly either. So that will suffice for the time being.
Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Politics
The Americans are trying to shamefully hide the fact that Xi’s visit is not a state visit. In this case, China refused to make such a visit during Biden’s term, which is a nonsense. An abnormal situation – the first time in the last 30 years.
Nikolai Vavilov, Chinese scholar
Biden cannot afford any concessions to China in the run-up to the elections. The resumption of military-to-military contacts, which Beijing suspended last year, is likely to be cited as a success by the American leader. But this is nothing more than a return to the status quo.
Kirilo Babaev, director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences
This is not a game of chance. The absence of a joint press conference, the delay in the start of the meeting, and the subsequent remarks are all naturally evaluated. This is always taken into account in China.
Victor Bashkeev, research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Chinese Culture, IKSA RAS
: …..according to statements made after the talks, the two parties reached no agreement.
Telegram channel ‘Politdoistik’ (205 thousand.)
Message 3:
Hidden risks for Russia
The main question in the Kremlin now is one. Will Xi personally inform the Kremlin about the results of his visit. Or will the level of dialog be downgraded to the head of the Security Council or, even worse, to the Foreign Minister.
Telegram channel ‘This is not the end’ (125 thousand)
This will send the first signal about the outcome of the Xi summit and Biden with the participation of the Jewish lobby represented by E. Blinken.
Telegram channel ‘This is not the end’ (125 thousand)
All the newly born “experts” on China and fake Sinologists do not see Xi’s long-term game to attract peaceful businesses (not the military-industrial complex) that need money, not demagoguery about a rule-based order.
Nikita Mitrofanov, economist, Telegram channel ‘The Chinese Threat’ (92 thousand)
And the second point is Xi’s masterful work at the level of the second echelon of the American establishment. The same governor of California who needs Chinese investment and job creation in the state, not the human rights of some turbans in Xinjiang.
Nikita Mitrofanov,
Message 4:
Speculation about a war between China and the United States
Taiwan and the United States are the regions and countries with which China’s trade turnover has declined the most this year. And de-globalization with a decline in trade volumes to critical levels may increase the likelihood of a forceful scenario, which still looks marginal.
Maksym Kuznetsov, business ‘expert,’ Telegram channel Pivot to the East,
Both sides understand that in the logic of the “king of the hill” game, launched by the Americans, and some form of clash is inevitable. But, choosing between a clash now and a clash later, they opt for an uncertain “later.”
Ivan Zuenko, senior Research Fellow at the Institute of International Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry
China is forced to accept this game. And now it is “going and chewing the gum” in the same way as the United States does: at the same time maintaining a level of trade and economic cooperation and coordination on global issues that is beneficial to it, while continuing to build up its technological and military potential.
Ivan Zuenko
This trip of Xi Jinping is very reminiscent of the talks in Geneva between Russian President Vladimir and the same Biden in January 2022 before the start of the NWO, where, in turn, an attempt was made to agree on a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue for the last time. The result of both of these negotiations is the same: the United States is not ready to compromise with anyone. The Geneva talks resulted in the holding of the SMM in Ukraine. We will see the outcome of the San Francisco talks at the end of January.
Telegram channel ‘Lawyer in the South‘
TASS is not authorized to say why the Kremlin does not comment on the talks between the leaders of the United States and China.
Telegram channel ‘Lawyer in the South’
To summarize
The direct dialog between the two global players destroys Putin’s mythology of a new multipolar world order. “The planet is big enough for two countries to succeed,” was the main message with which the Chinese leader visited the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean. This thesis directly contradicts the desire of the Kremlin’s revisionists to participate in a new division of the world. The failed war with Ukraine, despite the propaganda dances with tambourines, has removed the Kremlin from the list of contenders for world leadership. Therefore, Moscow has no choice but to try to downplay the importance of the talks between the leaders of the United States and China.
The main efforts of court commentators and orientalist experts are aimed at reducing the appetite of consumers of the Kremlin’s information fast food for the topic of the meeting between the leaders of America and China. Participants in these media activities were divided into several “camps” – some devalued the fact of the talks in every possible way, others tried hard to ridicule the diplomatic skills of the American president, and still others saw glimpses of war between the United States and China in the atmosphere of the summit. There were also those who were not afraid to swim against the tide and predict that Beijing would “betray” Moscow’s interests. All this information cacophony is united in a single motive of the Russian authorities – to forget the “unfortunate excess” as soon as possible and continue to console themselves with the hope that the “big Chinese brother” will sooner or later pull Moscow out of the abyss of conflict with the West.
