IMO unreasonable expectation that PRC can out-propagandize US / west in their own territories which is not remotely feasible. This is on top of western MSM / so

IMO unreasonable expectation that PRC can out-propagandize US / west in their own territories which is not remotely feasible. This is on top of western MSM / softpower / propaganda apparatus already being much more developed and mutually reinforcing, with an entire ecosystem of NGOs and think tanks to launder opinion and set narrative. It's why PRC netizens and PRC western diaspora (well western diaspora from many global south countries) are frequently awestruck by how "brain washed" westerners can be despite having "free media" - US propaganda power is very sophisticated relative to the crudeness of GFW and PRC censorship. There's also point that PRC's western propaganda has been mostly defensive, trying to explain PRC perspectives - Xi's "tell the China story well" and where most of the FARA spending goes. Whereas Kremlin is fine with going offensive by undermining US polity on domestic fractures because they know you can't counter-program against decades of western narrative that's ongoing. Exception is influencing diaspora populations, in which case both PRC and Russia are fairly successful. But broadly PRC has not heavily invested in attack yet. And ultimately PRC global propaganda is not... terrible considering what survives the filter of western MSM, bad translations, exaggerations, omissions, outright fabrications etc. PRC still has more supporters for XinJiang being counter-terrorism than human rights abuse. Compared to global positions on US/Israel/Palestine. Or how polling still consistently conclude US is still viewed as biggest risk to democracy / stability. It took 10 years of pressure, sanctions and finally a pandemic for most of FVEYs to get on board of Huawei ban. PRC will be wasting time refining defensive messages against the tide of western MSM. Better off going on offensive and weakening US society itself which compromise global alliances. There's zero amount of lobbying / propaganda PRC can do to affect US security planning, but it could absolutely compromise US systematically to undermine US credibility and shift global politics in way that favours PRC.