China has adopted a new approach to counter what it perceives as Western media and political criticism by inviting popular European and American influencers to livestream from China and showcase “the real China,” according to recent analysis.
Following the successful visit of American influencer “Speed” (IShowSpeed), who has 38 million followers, China is now courting the world’s top two influencers by follower count: “Mr Beast” and “Khaby Lame.” According to China News Weekly, a Beijing-based Chinese outlet, Mr Beast is expected to visit China as early as the fourth quarter of this year to film a large-scale challenge show, while Khaby Lame joined Chinese social media platforms in July with exclusive content and plans to tour China.
Speed’s China trip in the spring proved highly successful, showing American audiences “clean streets, modern cities, convenient mobile payments, efficient high-speed rail, and affordable new energy vehicles.” During his 17-day visit to eight Chinese cities, he conducted eight livestreams with an average viewership of 8.2 million, generating over 2 billion total views.
This represents Beijing’s new foreign publicity strategy: rather than relying on official messaging with limited impact, China is leveraging overseas top-tier influencers to personally experience the country and influence young international audiences using their own communication styles.
Khaby Lame, an Italian-Senegalese creator known for his wordless reaction videos, has 259 million followers, while Mr Beast, an American known for creative and high-budget content, boasts 600 million followers. Beyond targeting top influencers, China is reportedly launching a “China-Global Young Influencer Exchange Program,” recruiting American influencers with at least 300,000 followers to collaborate with Chinese content creators.
This strategy marks a significant shift from traditional diplomatic communication to leveraging social media influence for international outreach.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), July 11, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202507110100.aspx