US Military Conducted Covert Anti-Vaccine Disinformation Campaign Targeting China's Influence

A Reuters investigation has revealed that the U.S. military conducted a covert anti-vaccine disinformation campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, targeting China’s Sinovac vaccine to counter China’s influence in the Philippines and beyond. The campaign, running from spring 2020 to mid-2021 under both the Trump and Biden administrations, involved over 300 fake social media accounts spreading misinformation about the safety and efficacy of Chinese medical supplies. These efforts were designed to undermine China’s growing geopolitical influence and included messages tailored to different regions, such as Central Asia and the Middle East. The Pentagon operation, which has drawn severe criticism for potentially increasing vaccine hesitancy and related deaths, was eventually halted by the Biden administration. The strategy exploited local fears, including religious concerns among Muslims, and leveraged social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to proliferate the disinformation.