Focus is a collection that offers concise, in-depth analyses of contemporary strategic issues, based on documentary research, field surveys, or the use of original data. 

2025

• Focus n°3 - 2025
  « Baybridge. Anatomy of a chinese information influence ecosystem »
  Authors : Paul Charon and Tadaweb

  Behind the façade of innocuous digital marketing firms operating from China’s Greater Bay Area lies a vast ecosystem of information manipulation targeting audiences across dozens of countries. This study unveils BAYBRIDGE, an infrastructure whose technical sophistication stands in striking contrast to its operational dysfunction. This research maps the network’s architecture, traces its connections to Chinese state propaganda apparatus, and decrypts the discourse strategies deployed toward foreign publics. It reveals how companies exploit hundreds of inauthentic news websites to disseminate content aligned with Beijing’s—and Moscow’s—interests. Yet the system betrays fundamental contradictions. Chinese “positive energy” narratives promoting harmony coexist chaotically with aggressive pro-Kremlin propaganda. Poor translations, absent editorial oversight, and narrative incoherence render the operation remarkably ineffective. This paradox illuminates crucial questions: Does incompetence explain the failure, or does bureaucratic rent-seeking transform geopolitical ambition into private enrichment theater? This work demystifies authoritarian information capabilities while demonstrating the imperative of actor-specific analysis. A contribution to understanding disinformation ecosystems and the pathologies that limit their effectiveness.