Key Facts
• Sharp power targets include Taipei, Ottawa, Paris, and Washington, D.C.
• China’s sharp power aims to maintain the Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy.
• Russia’s sharp power focuses on destabilizing Western democracies.
• China’s tactics include global media campaigns and leveraging the 1971 UN Resolution 2758.
• Russia uses disinformation, fake accounts, and cyberattacks to deepen societal divides.
• 2016 U.S. election: Russian accounts amplified divisive issues like race and gun control.
• 2017 French election: Macron’s campaign faced cyberattacks linked to Russian actors.
• 2021 Canadian election: Chinese media targeted a lawmaker supporting foreign agent registration.
• Both nations exploit democratic openness to undermine trust in democratic systems.
• Taiwan faces “pro-China” narratives and “anti-U.S.” sentiment spread by Chinese-linked actors.
Summary
China and Russia employ distinct sharp power strategies to influence global democracies. China focuses on legitimizing its governance and suppressing criticism, using media campaigns and international resolutions. Russia, in contrast, aims to destabilize Western societies by exploiting internal divisions through disinformation and cyberattacks. Both nations exploit democratic vulnerabilities, with China targeting Taiwan’s sovereignty and Russia undermining trust in democratic institutions. These tactics highlight the need for democracies to counter sharp power while safeguarding freedoms.
