This paper compares Russian and Chinese strategic narratives on Chinese social media during the Russo-Ukrainian War, with a particular focus on Weibo as a digital platform where both foreign and domestic state actors operate. Despite Beijing’s stated neutrality, many observers interpret its positioning as implicitly pro-Russian. Against this backdrop, we analyse how Russian official accounts (such as the Russian Embassy and Russian state media) disseminate war-related narratives in the Chinese information space, how these differ from narratives advanced by Chinese state outlets (including CCTV, Xinhua, and Guancha.cn).
Methodologically, the study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative metrics, discourse analysis, and computational text analysis. Posts were collected from Russian and Chinese State-owned media before being coded for recurring themes, framing strategies, and narrative alignments. Techniques such as topic modelling, word embeddings, and similarity mapping are used to detect convergences and divergences in messaging, especially around contested terms such as “NATO,” “Nazism,” and “fascism”.
The preliminary result is that while both Russian and Chinese actors share core anti-Western frames, their messaging diverges in tone, emphasis, local adaptation, and particularly in their attitudes toward Ukraine. Russian media, despite privileged access to China’s platforms, appear to practice selective self-censorship and moderation, tailoring their content to align with Beijing’s political rules. While Chinese outlets often quote narratives favourable to Russia, they also reference Ukrainian perspectives, a strategy that allows Beijing to maintain relationship with Moscow while still striving to uphold an image of neutrality. This tension highlights both the shared goals and limits of authoritarian narrative cooperation: Although Moscow and Beijing often unite in criticising the West, their messaging still reflects their domestic audience expectations and geopolitical interests.
By connecting its findings to work on strategic narratives, propaganda, and authoritarian media cooperation, this paper contributes to ongoing debates about how allied authoritarian states use disinformation and influence campaigns that both support and shape each other. In doing so, it highlights that cooperation in global narratives does not always mean tight alignment in storytelling. Both the potential and the limits of Russian-Chinese coordination in the global information domain offer insights into digital diplomacy, information warfare, and the contested role of narrative cooperation in shaping digital interaction.