The concept of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) has been key to understanding and identifying information control operations.

We argue that this concept overlooks two central aspects: the attribution to state actors and, relatedly, understanding the role of non-state actors.

This working paper therefore analyses how and to what extent Chinese actors facilitate information control practices inside the country, but with a larger focus outside of China, especially inside the European Union (EU).

We show that information control takes place across four dimensions: information production, information dissemination, information salience and within the Chinese diaspora.