Overview

Last updated: 2022 August.

Background

To address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)‘s evolving overseas influence, Doublethink Lab is facilitating China In The World (CITW), a global network that supports knowledge sharing, capacity-building, and collaboration toward international advocacy among civil society. The China Index is CITW’s first cross-regional project. Through the Index, we seek to establish an interactive world map that visualizes the PRC’s evolving influence in different countries. The Index captures PRC influence across nine Domains: Academia, Domestic Politics, Economy, Foreign Policy, Law Enforcement, Media, Military, Society, and Technology. Each of these Domains contains 11 Indicators corresponding to an observable phenomenon of PRC influence, and presents comparable data collected by Regional Partners through collaboration with local experts. Doublethink devised the Indicators in collaboration with our Index Committee, consisting of international experts in PRC influence operations and foreign policy. Taken together, the Indicators are the first research effort to compile PRC influence into a single set of observable phenomena. The Index Committee periodically convenes to update the Indicators as PRC influence techniques evolve. Doublethink then distributes the renewed Indicators to Regional Partners so they can update the China Index. We expect the China Index to serve as a reference tool that enhances global understanding and awareness of PRC influence, particularly for academics, media, civil society networks, and policymakers.

About China In The World (CITW)

In 2019, Doublethink Lab and its partners established the China In The World (CITW) network to bring together stakeholders researching the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s global influence and disinformation strategies. CITW oversees publication of the China Index, the first cross-regional initiative to objectively measure and compare the PRC’s influence in various countries. CITW Summits are participatory grassroots events designed to strengthen members’ ability to conduct investigations and research that strengthen democratic resilience and counter malign authoritarian influences.

About Doublethink Lab

Doublethink Lab (Doublethink) is a civil society organization (CSO) devoted to studying the malign influence of digital authoritarianism. Doublethink’s strengths lie in the ability to combine a diverse set of research approaches in the social, behavioral, and computational sciences to study state-funded propaganda campaigns, psychological warfare, and related information operations. Doublethink seeks to foster global networks connecting academics, democracy movements, digital communities, like-minded CSOs, and experts on the People’s Republic of China, in order to strengthen global democratic resilience.