China urged to forge ‘spear’ for cognitive warfare amid great power rivalry

Prominent academics call on Beijing to move beyond ‘passive mindset’ and shape international public opinion favourable to its interests

Source: South China Morning Post

Update: May 7th, 2026  11:00 PM

An AI-made video by Chinese state media mocking the United States is seen on a mobile phone in Beijing on April 6. China has been engaged in an intense war of narratives with the US in recent years. Photo: AP

The appeal was made by Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, and Ding Zhuang, an associate research fellow at the institute, who said in a paper last week that China should improve its cognitive warfare system with strengthened “cognitive sovereignty”.

“It is necessary to move beyond the traditional, passive mindset of ‘cognitive defence’ and instead adopt the strategic concept of ‘cognitive sovereignty’,” they wrote, noting that this idea was essential for gaining an upper hand in the competition.

They said methods should include proactively setting agendas, introducing original concepts and creating Chinese narratives.

“We should actively compete for international discursive power, directing the focus of competition towards opposing discursive dominance and cognitive manipulation,” they said.