A whole lotta social media love

Several stories to pay attention to:

• Chinese state media is buying a lot of social media love, judging from stats in this report. China researcher Sarah Cook tweeted:

Looks like CGTN just passed Facebook itself in numbers of followers/likes. In general, looks like Chinese state media are working hard to add new followers (real or fake). They take four out of five slots of fastest growing media pages.

• Professor Anne-Marie Brady of Wellington, New Zealand, is a leading scholar of China’s influence operations abroad. Her car was sabotaged last week, apparently the latest attempt by unknown actors to intimidate her. Her home and office were previously burgled, and laptops containing her work on China were stolen. Sinologists Geremie Barmé and John Minford have written an open letter urging the Kiwi government to investigate, and protect academic freedom in New Zealand.

See also: New Zealand: United Frontlings bearing gifts, by Jichang Lulu.

• The New York Times has a package on China, and it’s worth your time. Start with The land that failed to fail, by Phil Pan. Other stories, all behind a porous paywall:
  • The American Dream is alive. In China. (on social mobility)
  • The world, built by China (overseas construction)
  • How China took over your TV (China’s role in electronics supply chains)
  • The great promise of China (Western luxury brands trying to cash in)