Twitter: Fake Accounts Amplify Chinese State Media for the 20th National Congress

An Investigative Report – October 2022

Nisos researchers investigated a social media influence campaign on Twitter that is amplifying Chinese state-run media for the 20th National Congress to promote and disseminate pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives targeting Chinese and English-language audiences.

Nisos researchers identified 1,463 inauthentic Twitter accounts amplifying 13 Chinese state-run media videos and articles over 5,000 times. The accounts posted between October 12-14 and again on October 17, 2022. 

The overall narrative of these articles portray China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a positive light, particularly regarding the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which began on October 16, 2022 and continues through October 22, 2022.

Nisos researchers made the following findings:

• The network amplified 10 Chinese state-run news media videos and articles from between October 12-14  in the leadup to the 20th National Congress and three Chinese state-run news media videos and articles on October 17, 2022 after the first day of the 20th National Congress.
• The campaign consisted of at least 1,463 unique Twitter accounts.
• The campaign conducted 5,383 quote Tweets using identical post language to amplify Chinese state-run media messages on Twitter.
• Several users within the coordinated inauthentic network labeled the posts numerically one through 10 for posts identified on October 12 and 14 2022, indicating that the posts were scripted and written on a centralized list.
• Of the 1,463 unique Twitter accounts exhibiting coordinated inauthentic behavior, 944 accounts amplified posts between October 12-14 and again on October 17, 2022. This indicates that the incidents were not isolated and ongoing activity is a coordinated effort by a single network or coordinated group of networks.

As of the writing of this report, amplifying posts of Chinese state-run media appear to be continuing on Twitter as the 20th National Congress progresses. Therefore, we assess coordinated inauthentic amplification of Chinese state-run media posts on Twitter will continue through at least the end of the 20th National Congress on October 22, 2022.

To learn more, download the complete Nisos Research report.

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