The Chinese government has one of the most extensive propaganda networks in the world inside the country, but it also aggressively works to influence how it's perceived outside its borders.

中國政府在國內部署的官媒網路是世上數一數二的大，但中國也正積極地將觸手伸往它們的國界之外。

"Good morning, President Xi!"

「習主席，早安！」

China has invested billions into bolstering its image abroad.

中國已經投資了數十億美金在國外宣揚中國。

Its state-run news outlets push out messages in English around the clock.

官媒也用英語全天候散播訊息。

"You're watching CGTN."

「你正在收看 CGTV。」

"Live in Beijing."

「北京現場連線。」

"From Nairobi."

「從奈洛比。」

"Washington, D.C."

「華盛頓。」

And its diplomats have flocked to Twitter in the last year.

且中國的外交官們在去年紛紛加入推特。

But what happens when this massive P.R. apparatus has to do major damage control?

那當這個大外宣機構做起傷害管控會發生什麼事？

We analyzed thousands of tweets from Chinese state media and official accounts and found three dominant messages China wants to project to the world.

我們分析了從中國官媒與官方帳號所發出的數千則推特，發現了中國想要散佈的三則訊息。

Here's what we learned. [Theme 1: Spinning Optimism.]

以下是我們已得知的。 [第一：虛構樂觀。]

A novel coronavirus hit the Chinese city of Wuhan in January.

一種新冠病毒於一月侵襲了武漢。

Early whistleblowers were silenced.

早期提出警告的人被噤聲了。

People were angry about a government cover-up.

人民對中國政府的掩蓋感到憤怒。

(Speaking Chinese) No hospital beds! No medicine!

(中文) 沒有病床！沒有醫藥！

(Speaking Chinese) All the news on CCTV is fake!

(中文) CCTV (央視) 講的那個新聞全部都是假的！

But in the majority of tweets we analyzed, state-owned publications pushed a much more optimistic view, promoting what they said was an effective response.

但根據我們所分析的推特，官媒所傳遞的是一種樂觀許多的視角，宣揚中國政府反應是多麽迅速。

They are sharing videos like this.

他們會分享像這樣的影片。

(Speaking Chinese) Since makeshift hospitals have started receiving patients.

(中文) 說這個方艙醫院接收病患以來

(Speaking Chinese) Patients can not only get free treatment but also free food.

(中文) 不僅看病不花錢，而且吃飯不花錢。

(Speaking Chinese) In addition, some people have also been organizing square dances.

(中文) 還有人組織跳廣場舞。

The Chinese Communist Party refers to this as positive energy, only focusing on the bright side of an issue.

中國共產黨說這是正面能量，只專注於事情的正向面。

China did take drastic measures to try and stem the outbreak, but that's the only story China wants the world to see.

中國的確致力要試著遏止疫情，但中國只想要世界看到這一面。

And state media is eager to run praise from foreign experts to back up China's successes.

且他們渴望外國專家的稱讚，來讓中國的說法站得住腳。

It's a remarkable response that's being organized in China to contain the virus.

中國控制疫情的反應與組織力非常令人佩服。

One tweet from state media that did reveal Chinese citizens' discontent—it was quickly deleted.

一則官媒的推特講到中國市民的不滿，但很快地就被刪除。

[Theme 2: Protecting China's Image.]

[第二：保護中國形象。]

Once the virus spread across the world, China started positioning itself as being at the forefront of fighting the pandemic.

當病毒擴散至全球，中國開始將自己宣傳為在最前線抵抗大流行的英雄。

It presented itself as a partner, a grateful recipient, and more recently a selfless leader, highlighting large donations from Chinese companies and the government.

中國把形象塑造成夥伴、充滿感激的接受者，還有無私的領導者，不斷強調中國公司與政府最近的大額捐助。

(Speaking Chinese) Stay strong, China. Stay strong, Japan.

(中文) 祖國，加油。日本，加油。

China hasn't typically disparaged other countries' responses to the virus, with one exception—the United States.

中國沒有刻意貶低其他國家對於病毒的評論，但有個例外，美國。

"President Donald Trump has been accused of denying, downplaying and outright rejecting the concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak."

「川普總統被控否認、低估與完全輕視了 COVID-19 疫情。」

[Theme 3: Disputing the Virus's Origin.]

[第三：質疑病毒發源地。]

Another thing we noticed are Chinese outlets disputing the origin of the virus.

我們注意到另一件事，中國媒體不斷質疑病毒的發源地。

It all started in late February with a renowned Chinese epidemiologist.

這件事的起源在二月底，由一名有聲譽的中國流行病學家所提起。

(Speaking Chinese) The infection was first spotted in China but the virus might not have originated in China.

(中文) 首先出現在中國，不一定是發源在中國。

Around the same time, the C.D.C. reported the first case in the United States with an unknown origin.

同期，疾管署宣布美國的第一例確診的感染源仍舊不明。

A screenshot of the announcement incorrectly translated in Chinese began to trend online and was untouched by Chinese government censors.

該聲明被截圖，錯誤地翻譯至中文，並開始在中國網路上流傳，而此時的中國審查制度卻一點也沒有作為。

And a high-ranking government spokesperson actively pushed disinformation about where the virus came from.

而中國一名高層級的政府發言人，竟主動在網上發布關於病毒來源的假消息。

(Speaking Chinese) Right now, the work of tracing the virus origin is still ongoing.

(中文) 目前，病毒溯源工作仍在進行中。

(Speaking Chinese) There is no conclusion yet.

(中文) 尚無定論。

A government giving an optimistic spin to bad news is not unique.

政府以樂觀的口吻講述一個壞消息並不特別。

"We want to go big, go solid. the country is very strong, we've never been so strong."

「我們要壯大，穩重。我們國家很強壯，是史上最強壯的時刻。」

But the scale of the Chinese propaganda machine is, and it's clear that it's being deployed to try and tell the world a new story about the coronavirus pandemic.

但中國大外宣的規模太過跨張，且很明顯地，中國想要對全世界改寫新冠肺炎大流行的事實。