Canada’s current diplomatic standoff with India risks making it an even more tempting target for international efforts that use disinformation to reshape global discourses, a senior U.S. State Department official said.
Whether it’s restive political factions, popular outrage, economic instability or geopolitical disputes, conflicts always make it easier for lies to take root, said James Rubin, coordinator of the Global Engagement Center.
“Any time there is underlying discontent in a country, the manipulators will use it,” Mr. Rubin said at a news conference Thursday about the body’s new report on the goals of China in terms of overhauling the information space.
“Unfortunately, they are constantly improving their methods. »
Social media now lays bare the divisions that exist in any part of the world, “and with artificial intelligence and spending on it, they can develop tailored narratives,” he said. he indicates.
And while Mr. Rubin was quick to point out that he had seen no evidence that China was seeking to exploit the Canada-India conflict, “this is obviously an area ripe for manipulation of the ‘information “.
The dispute came to light last month when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed “credible allegations” of a link between the Indian government and the June shooting death of a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, a long-time advocate of the idea of an independent Sikh state in Punjab province, was killed while driving his van by two masked gunmen outside a temple in Surrey , in British Columbia.
India – where Mr Nijjar has long been labeled a terrorist and wanted for multiple attacks dating back to 2007 – has vigorously denied any involvement.
A “delicate subject” for the United States
Rubin acknowledged Thursday that the dispute was a “touchy subject” for the United States, which wants to strengthen ties with India as part of a long-term plan to build a geopolitical bulwark against China in the Indo-Pacific.
And although he followed closely the official American arguments, calling on the two countries to cooperate in an investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, Mr. Rubin first spoke of an “assassination”, a term which he later retracted.
“I meant the word ‘murder,’” he said. This was clearly a murder, this should be investigated in Canada, it’s terrible that this happened, but I should have used the word “murder”, not assassination, because that has connotations policies. »
An Indian government spokesperson acknowledged this week that New Delhi wants Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, but did not confirm reports that 41 of 62 Canadian envoys could be expelled by Monday.
Ottawa said discussions were ongoing, but it needed its envoys to remain in India while efforts continued to resolve the impasse.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Thursday evening that “for security and operational reasons” it was unable to provide details on Canada’s current diplomatic footprint in India.
China’s disinformation campaigns
The crisis has proven a stubborn topic in both Washington and Ottawa, both of which have increased their focus in recent months on how best to respond to global threats posed by Russia and China.
The latter has aggressively deployed its disinformation campaigns in Canada in recent years, with one particular target – Conservative MP Michael Chong – meriting specific mention in the new State Department report.
Mr. Chong, who represents an Ontario riding, testified last month before a congressional committee about his experience, which included a Chinese intimidation plot targeting the MP and his relatives in Hong Kong in 2021.
Earlier this year, Mr. Chong was also at the center of an attempt by Chinese agents to discredit him with false information, using WeChat, a social network and direct messaging app popular in the Chinese diaspora.
” There [République populaire de Chine] has used WeChat as a channel for spreading disinformation targeting Chinese language speakers residing in democracies,” the report said.
The network involved accounts linked to state media and China’s state apparatus “opaquely” and “shared and amplified false and misleading information about Mr. Chong’s identity, background and political views “.
Mr. Rubin noted with some irony that China has for decades been a fierce guardian of its internal affairs, even as it engages in efforts to manipulate discourse in countries around the world.
“There is nothing wrong with people asking difficult questions, or even suggesting scandalous things, as long as it is done in an open and transparent way, where it is clear who is saying what to whom and why,” he said.
“When it’s not clear where information comes from, when we don’t know whether it’s the Chinese government or the Russian government doing something, then that’s information manipulation. »