Seek Truth From Facts (实事求是): How foreign disinformation emerges from domestic propaganda

In the last decade, there has been a significant rise in the number of states engaging in foreign disinformation campaigns. In this paper, I argue that while foreign disinformation campaigns are generally part of a states' broader foreign policy, the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used in foreign disinformation campaigns evolve out of a state's domestic disinformation apparatus. I use the history and evolution of the Chinese Communist Party's domestic and foreign disinformation efforts to make this argument. The Chinese case presents a unique opportunity for analysis because of the clear demarcation between domestic and foreign social media: Chinese citizens are blocked from using popular social media platforms used in much of the rest of the world so the CCP must use different platforms and techniques to spread disinformation domestically and abroad. Comparing both sides of this divide since 2012 illuminates that early foreign campaigns mirrored domestic efforts while later campaigns developed distinct characteristics. This finding could allow researchers to use previously identified domestic propaganda and disinformation campaigns to anticipate and mitigate the impact of foreign disinformation campaigns.