Researchers Identify Chinese Influence Network That Targeted Trump, Japan Elections

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) raises her fist as U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks aboard USS George Washington on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty ImagesResearchers uncovered a network of more than 330 social media accounts linked to China that targeted U.S. President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, human rights organizations, and other countries to push pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) narratives, according to a Feb. 26 policy brief.The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) discovered the network coordinating to push these narratives between December 2025 and February 2026 across X, YouTube, Tumblr, Blogspot, and Quora.