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The Guardian - UK

World

Vincent Ni

China hires western TikTokers to polish its image during 2022 Winter Olympics

China Winter Olympics Olympics TikTok Beijing United States Beijing Games United Nations

Children run inside the Olympic Tower in Beijing, which is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. — Children run inside the Olympic Tower in Beijing, which is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photograph: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

An army of western social media influencers, each with hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok, Instagram or Twitch, is set to spread positive stories about China throughout next month’s Winter Olympics.

Concerned about the international backlash against the Beijing Games amid a wave of diplomatic boycotts, the government has hired western PR professionals to spread an alternative narrative through social media.

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