US claims China spends billions of dollars on pro-Russian propaganda

This was reported by James Rubin, coordinator of the Global Engagement Center, a US State Department body created to "expose and counter" foreign propaganda and disinformation, the Guardian reports.

"The well has been poisoned by Chinese and Russian disinformation – it’s pernicious," he said.

Rubin said that Russia and China spend billions of dollars on manipulating information, and added that Beijing operates on a global scale and spends more than Moscow. According to him, China is repeating and spreading Russia's claim that the war "was started by NATO."

• On February 24, China published a document with its position on the "political settlement" of Russia's war against Ukraine. In an official statement, China did not support Ukraine, but called for an end to "unilateral sanctions." The document calls the war a "crisis."

• Subsequently, the Biden administration responded to China's so-called peace plan with ideas for resolving Russia's war against Ukraine.