China’s relentless expansion in the South China Sea, as well as in Africa, South America and other regions, is forcing the U.S. to adjust its national policies on technology and global security. Tiffany Meier argues that understanding China’s global campaigns requires recognizing the regime’s long-term game.
Meier is a news anchor and investigative reporter focused on China, global affairs, and U.S. national security. Her access to firsthand sources inside China allowed her team to piece together developments in the Covid epidemic in China before the facts were available to mainstream media. “We had so much information coming out, mostly from China, that something was happening,” she says. That reporting led to the creation of a dedicated China-focused program as global attention intensified.
Meier says the pandemic exposed gaps in how China was covered. “A lot of English language viewers are now really open to an alternative sense of news,” she says. Meier believes news coverage of China requires broader approaches. “You have to talk about soft power,” she says.
She explains that for many Western companies, including information gathering, access to China’s market comes with the price of self-censorship and mandated joint ventures. “The Chinese Communist Party has full say over the project,” she says.
China’s quiet influence concerns her, referring to covert operations that escape public notice. She cites cases involving political aides, property near sensitive military sites, and technology platforms that normalize Chinese-owned apps. “That’s the level of infiltration that we’re talking about that you don’t see,” she says.
But, “there is more awareness,” she says, and adds, “people are looking for it now.” She encourages young journalists to be skeptical, especially in the new digital environment with AI and emotional manipulation.
