Vol.:(0123456789) Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory https://doi.org/10.1007/s10588-023-09380-9 1 3 ORIGINAL PAPER #WhatIsDemocracy: fnding key actors in a Chinese infuence campaign Charity S. Jacobs 1  · Kathleen M. Carley 1 Accepted: 15 June 2023 This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2023 Abstract The rapid increase in China’s outward digital presence on western social media plat- forms highlights China’s priorities for promoting pro-Chinese narratives and stories in recent years. Simultaneously, China has increasingly been accused of launching information operations using bot activity, puppet accounts, and other inauthentic activity to amplify its messaging. This paper provides a comprehensive network analysis characterization of the hashtag infuence campaign China promoted against the US-hosted Summit on Democracy in December 2021, in addition to methods to identify diferent types of actors within this type of infuence campaign. China uses layers of state-sponsored accounts, bots, and non-bot accounts to promote its messaging. Lastly, we describe how China uses localized campaigns under a more extensive umbrella campaign for information difusion toward targeted audiences. Keywords China · Infuence operations · Network analysis · Bots · Social media 1 Introduction Social media is a critical domain for connecting and promoting ideas and discus- sion at the international level. China is a relative newcomer to using media with an international audience, passing domestic legislature as recently as 2007 to increase the country’s discourse power by creating a Chinese-controlled media platform Xin- hua. Xinhua and other similar state media platforms, such as the Chinese Global Television Network (CGTN), can shape narratives about China at the global level (DiResta and Goldstein 2021). While China’s iron-clad censorship policies, such * Charity S. Jacobs csjacobs@cmu.edu Kathleen M. Carley kathleen.carley@cs.cmu.edu 1 Software and Societal Systems, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15213, PA, USA