China's Covert Plot to Undermine Donald Trump Revealed

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - China has been secretly waging a propaganda campaign to stir up resistance against the policies of US President Donald Trump, specifically targeting his high tariff regime deemed detrimental to Beijing. This was revealed in a report by US tech giant OpenAI, published on Wednesday (10/6) local time. According to OpenAI, Chinese propaganda was disseminated through its flagship chat service. Chinese propagandists are also said to have intervened in US debates concerning data centres and AI in general, via OpenAI’s services. The maker of ChatGPT stated that the Chinese propaganda efforts were detected from late 2025 until early 2026, though the efforts reportedly had no significant impact. Nevertheless, OpenAI’s findings indicate that generative AI now plays a central role in propaganda campaigns aimed at influencing the digital realm. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it was unaware of the research conducted by OpenAI. ‘We firmly oppose all slander and groundless attacks against China,’ the embassy stated, quoted by Reuters on Thursday (11/6/2026). According to OpenAI, its systems detected a group of Mandarin-speaking users employing ChatGPT to create slogans and cartoons criticising Trump’s technology and trade policies. This content was subsequently disseminated on X. The cartoons depicted Trump acting ‘destructively’ with global repercussions. One such cartoon showed Trump using a hammer to damage a wall labelled ‘Global Future’. The same group also used ChatGPT to generate Mandarin-language comments deployed in the comment sections of Mandarin-language articles, as well as content in Italian and Japanese. X and xAI did not respond to emailed requests for comment. OpenAI said it has traced another group of users to a Chinese tech company working on a government project, although it did not disclose the company’s identity. This group allegedly attempted to meddle in debates about AI and data centres, as well as sensitive issues in the US. The propaganda push came as dozens of US states were considering or had already implemented restrictions on data centre construction. Sample cartoons shared by OpenAI portrayed the industry as greedy profit-seekers whose electricity consumption harms ordinary citizens. Ben Nimmo, a principal researcher at OpenAI, told journalists the operation appeared geared towards manipulating the debate about AI in the US and broader US technology policy. ‘In circumstances like these, it is deeply ironic that they are trying to use American AI to do it,’ Nimmo said. Although the propaganda operation did not appear to yield significant results, the AI-assisted influence effort represents yet another illustration of how widespread AI-generated imagery has become, even in propaganda criticising the industry. Last week, technology publication 404 Media reported that digital content-generating companies were using AI-produced images to create memes opposing data centres.