China TV Network Accounts for Bulk of Beijing's Influence Spending in US

WASHINGTON - China's big-budget foreign influence operation in the United States is heavily tilted toward television broadcasting and other media activities, according to newly disclosed Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings.

The country's state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) spent more than $50 million on its U.S. operations last year, accounting for nearly 80% of total Chinese spending on influencing U.S. public opinion and policy, according to FARA filings compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. It was the first year for which CGTN, which began broadcasting in the U.S. in 2012, reported a complete spending figure. In 2019, CGTN had reported partial spending of about $43 million. In total, China spent nearly $64 million on propaganda and lobbying in the United States last year. Counting its television broadcasting operations, China spent more money on influencing U.S. public opinion than any other country. Qatar came in second, reporting nearly $50 million, and Russia ranked No. 3, with $42 million in spending. Both Qatar and Russia run large media operations in the United States.