The US military staged a covert social media campaign during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to discredit the Chinese Covid vaccine, according to a Reuters report. Running from spring 2020 until mid-2021, the Pentagon’s operation initially targeted the Philippines before spreading to other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
The campaign utilized fake social media accounts impersonating Filipino users to distribute allegations that China’s Sinovac vaccine, as well as test kits and face masks produced by the country, were of poor quality. Sinovac, which began distribution in March 2021, was the first available vaccine for the Philippines during the pandemic.
One example of a post disseminated as part of this campaign read: “COVID came from China and the VACCINE also came from China, don’t trust China!” These messages centered around the slogan #ChinaAngVirus (China is the virus. Another common post stated: “From China – PPE, Face Mask, Vaccine: FAKE. But the Coronavirus is real.
In addition to targeting Filipino users, the Pentagon sought to influence Muslim users in Asia and the Middle East by highlighting that vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin, suggesting that under Islamic law, China’s vaccine should be forbidden.
Reuters reported that its investigation discovered at least 300 accounts on Twitter, rebranded as X, which matched the descriptions provided by former US military officials who revealed details about the campaign. The agency stated that it had contacted X regarding these accounts and that the Elon Musk-owned platform had determined, based on activity patterns and internal data, that the profiles in question were part of a coordinated bot campaign. These accounts have since been deleted.
A senior US Defense Department official confirmed to Reuters that a covert social media campaign against Sinovac did take place, but declined to provide further details. A Pentagon spokesperson told the agency that the US military “uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks aimed at the US, allies, and partners.” They argued that Beijing initiated a “disinformation campaign to falsely blame the US for the spread of Covid-19.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded by emphasizing in an emailed statement that Beijing has long maintained that the US government manipulates social media and spreads disinformation.