America's Self-Inflicted Retreat: How Washington Handed China the Information War

Jung Han

2025년 10월 7일

US Dismantles Information War Defenses as China Expands Propaganda Machine

State Dept. shuts disinformation office, VOA gutted, USAID closed"Free speech" and "cost-cutting" rationale undermines decades-old systemsChina expert: "US arrogance—China is already world-class at this"

The United States is dismantling its longstanding information warfare infrastructure against authoritarian propaganda, creating an unprecedented opening for China's Communist Party to expand its global disinformation operations.

Under the banner of "free speech" and "spending efficiency," the US has systematically gutted key institutions that for decades countered Chinese, Russian, and Iranian propaganda campaigns, according to Axios.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

"It's basically self-sabotage for domestic political reasons," said Bill Bishop, author of the Sinocism newsletter.

Key US rollbacks include:

Disinformation office closed: The State Department in April shut down its office combating mis- and disinformation from China, Russia and Iran, claiming it restricted free speech.

Government broadcasters dismantled: The administration has effectively gutted the US Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. China's state radio has seized dozens of frequencies previously used by RFA, filling the void with its own broadcasts.

USAID shuttered: Closure of the US Agency for International Development has made it easier for China to conduct influence operations through infrastructure projects in developing countries.

Content moderation relaxed: Pressure on US tech giants has enabled foreign state media to spread disinformation more easily. X (formerly Twitter) has stopped labeling state media accounts altogether.

TikTok ban unenforced: Months-long failure to enforce the TikTok ban law demonstrates Western unwillingness to cut off Chinese consumer tech—even as China blocks US tech on the mainland—leaving Americans vulnerable to data breaches and content manipulation.

China's Strategic Shift

Post-COVID, China has pivoted from promoting a positive CCP image to aggressively spreading disinformation targeting adversaries—mirroring tactics long used by Russia and Iran.

Ahead of the 2024 US election, Chinese influence operations used fake accounts posing as American citizens to spread anti-Western sentiment. China has also coordinated more closely with Russia following Moscow's 2022 Ukraine invasion, amplifying Russian disinformation about NATO and the West.

Decentralized Propaganda Network

China is building "International Communication Centers" (ICCs) at provincial and city levels—moving beyond Beijing-centric operations to deploy more sophisticated, localized campaigns.

Since 2018, China has established over 100 ICCs that can rapidly deploy region-specific content using social media, foreign influencers, and partnerships with overseas media. These centers operate thousands of public and private social media accounts targeting foreign audiences with greater precision than centralized operations.

"World-Class" Threat

Asked why the US would cede so much ground in an information war amplified by AI, Bishop blamed American arrogance: "It's just a kind of arrogance on the US side that the Chinese can't do it, when—in fact—the Chinese are world-class at this kind of stuff."

Experts warn that if the US cannot balance free speech with national security and strategic investment with spending efficiency, it risks falling decisively behind China in 21st-century information warfare. With AI making disinformation cheaper and easier to produce at scale, the dismantling of US defenses poses a serious security threat that could reshape global power dynamics and force allies to recalibrate their policies.

미국이 스스로 무너뜨린 정보전 방어선...중국 선전 공세에 무방비

국무부 허위정보 대응실 폐쇄·VOA 해체·USAID 중단"표현의 자유·정부 지출 축소" 명분...수십년 구축한 시스템 와해中 전문가 "미국의 오만...중국은 이미 세계 최고 수준"

미국이 중국 등 권위주의 국가의 선전·허위정보 공세에 맞서 오랜 기간 쌓아온 대외 정보전 방어체계를 2025년 들어 주요 부서와 예산·인프라를 대거 해체하며 스스로 무너뜨리고 있다.

이로 인해 중국 공산당은 세계 각지에서 국가 주도 선전과 AI 기반 허위정보 전략을 급속히 확장하며, 미국의 영향력 약화와 각국 여론전에서 전례 없는 기회를 얻게 됐다는 우려가 커지고 있다. 미국의 ‘표현의 자유’와 ‘지출 효율화’라는 명분 아래 핵심 조직이 차례로 폐지되는 사이, 중국은 신속한 AI 도입, 분산형 선전 네트워크, 대외 정보전 고도화로 글로벌 정보질서 주도권 확보에 속도를 내고 있다는 분석이다.