Hong Kong exiles in the United Kingdom are being targeted online as part of a larger coordinated effort to attack China's opponents.

That news was revealed in an investigation by The Guardian, which compiled ample evidence of online posts attempting to garner the attention of anti-immigrant groups and the far right in hopes of harming the dissidents. The new tactic has frightened Hong Kong activists being identified in the posts, who fear violence.

Analysts from Graphika were among the online experts who reviewed the posts identified by the Guardian.

The article noted that Graphika assessed the activity "echoes aspects" of a major Chinese online influence campaign that Graphika identified in 2019 and named Spamouflage Dragon, the analysts said.

It added that, "The Graphika analysts agreed with other experts who said the social media campaign against Hongkongers could not definitively be attributed to Spamouflage Dragon because of differences in the style of posting. But they said posts identified by the Guardian showed 'similarities to past activity Graphika and others have attributed to Chinese state-linked influence operations'."

The story was part of "The China Project," a larger effort by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to shed light on "the methods used by China beyond its borders to crush its dissent."

A spokesperson for China's embassy in the UK told the Guardian that, "The so-called ‘transnational repression’ by China is pure fabrication. China always respects the sovereignty of other countries and conducts law enforcement and judicial cooperation with other countries in accordance with the law."

Despite that, the Guardian reported that "online incitement appears to represent a novel weapon in the arsenal that projects Beijing’s power."

Graphika ATLAS delivers continuous insights into evolving online threats and narratives -- including those tracked through our Chinese State Influence Feed. Subscribers receive ongoing monitoring of the narratives promoted and tactics used by Chinese state actors, as well as the communities engaging with them, across a wide range of social platforms and online sources.

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