BRUSSELS caved to pressure from China to water down a report into how Beijing is pumping out fake news about coronavirus, leaked emails show.
Eurocrats were accused of “self-censoring to appease the Chinese Communist Party” after the damning dossier was rewritten at the last minute.
The European External Action Service accused Beijing of running a “global disinformation” campaign and specifically targeting the French government.
But references to both were removed and other language softened in the final published version of the report.
Its release was delayed so it could be rewritten to tone down the criticism of China, according to emails seen by the New York Times.
Lutz Güllner, head of the EEAS strategic communications division, wrote: “The Chinese are already threatening with reactions if the report comes out.” One analyst then objected to the rewrite, telling bosses the EU shouldn’t be “self-censoring to appease the Chinese Communist Party”.
The report also points the finger at Russia and Iran for spreading dangerous fake news about coronavirus.
And it slams social media companies saying “more transparency and information-sharing” from them is needed to help fight disinformation.
A spokesman for the EEAS denied claims that pressure from China had altered the content of the dossier.
He said: “The publications of the EEAS are categorically independent. We have never bowed to any alleged external political pressure.”
