China’s media landscape has undergone a significant transformation in response to the changing dynamics of propaganda in the digital age. Leveraging the concept of ‘media convergence,’ Xi Jinping has orchestrated the fusion of traditional and modern media platforms to create a competitive new mainstream media, particularly through the digital outlets of party-state media like the People’s Daily. This initiative, driven by concerns over national security and stability, underscores the role of media in shaping public opinion, as seen in responses to events like the 2008 Olympics and the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. The CCP invests in cutting-edge technology and data activities to bolster its propaganda efforts, such as the State Key Laboratory for Communication Content Cognition, which leverages AI to enhance content dissemination and control.

The emergence of another concept, that of “party-controlled data”, has also been leveraged by the CCP to wield influence in the digital age. Entities like People’s Data Management Co. Ltd play a pivotal role in facilitating data exchange between government bodies, enterprises, and institutions. Through initiatives like the People’s Cloud and People’s Public Opinion Cloud, the CCP seeks to monitor and shape public sentiment domestically and internationally. Data-sharing arrangements with entities like Temu, a fast-growing e-commerce platform, raise concerns over privacy and security, particularly regarding the potential exploitation of user data for targeted propaganda campaigns. These developments underscore the CCP’s evolving tactics to harness data and technology to reinforce its control over information and influence public opinion.

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