The European Union on Tuesday formally accused China and Russia of mounting targeted coronavirus disinformation campaigns to undermine European democracy, in documents seen by AFP.
In a paper on what it called the "flood" of misleading and inaccurate information proliferating around the pandemic, Brussels says Beijing and Moscow had set out to polarise debate and burnish their own images.
The 17-page report, to be presented by EU vice-president for values and transparency Vera Jourova, accuses Moscow and Beijing of "seeking to undermine democratic debate and exacerbate social polarisation, and improve their own image in the COVID-19 context." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held video talks with Chinese Foreign Minister on Tuesday, warning afterwards that Europe needed to devote more resources to tackling disinformation.
"There is therefore a need for additional efforts and information-sharing by social media platforms, as well as increased transparency and greater accountability."The EU task force analysing and debunking misleading stories online is small and currently mainly focuses on disinformation emanating from Russia.
The report sets the stage for a video summit later this month between EU Council President Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese leaders.
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