China’s Digital Propaganda Spreads Through Indonesia via Fabricated Claims

China’s AI-Driven Campaign Rewrites Islamic History to Court Indonesian Influence

China has launched a sophisticated disinformation campaign using artificial intelligence to portray itself as an ancient Muslim civilization with deep ties to the Islamic world, particularly targeting Indonesian audiences through social media platforms.

An investigation by Indonesian magazine Tempo uncovered a coordinated effort that flooded YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook with fabricated historical narratives. In April and May 2025, more than 1,500 videos claiming the discovery of Prophet Zachariah’s tomb beneath the Great Wall of China appeared simultaneously across platforms. The operation involved over 800 YouTube channels in Indonesian and English languages spreading similar content.

The videos follow a consistent pattern, presenting sensational “discoveries” of Islamic artifacts in China, including alleged tombs of various Muslim prophets. These narratives blend small historical facts with extensive fabrications to construct a revisionist history positioning China as a longstanding Muslim ally rather than a geopolitical competitor.

“These are modern pseudo-historical myths designed to improve China’s reputation in Indonesia, where anti-Chinese and anti-communist sentiment has historically been problematic,” explained Nava Nuraniyah, a postdoctoral fellow at Macquarie University specializing in online extremism and disinformation.

Alongside these historical narratives, Indonesian social media has seen an influx of staged humanitarian videos showing Chinese citizens being warmly welcomed in Muslim-majority countries. These carefully crafted clips typically depict Chinese tourists in Middle Eastern marketplaces receiving expressions of gratitude from locals, often ending with Chinese and Muslim countries’ flags appearing side by side to symbolize partnership.

Many videos bear captions like “The US destroys, China rebuilds,” directly contrasting Chinese aid with Western military actions in Muslim regions. The identical scripts, editing styles, and coordinated release patterns strongly suggest an orchestrated influence operation rather than organic content.

The campaign appears to serve multiple strategic objectives beyond general image enhancement. In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, these narratives intersect with sensitive local economic and political interests.

One notable example involves claims that Wali Songo, the revered nine saints who introduced Islam to Java between the 14th and 16th centuries, originated from China’s Yunnan province rather than Yemen as traditionally believed. These claims support business interests connected to Chinese-Indonesian tycoons behind the controversial Pantai Indah Kapuk 2 (PIK 2) development project, which has faced opposition from Islamist groups led by clerics of Yemeni descent.

“The narrative linking Wali Songo’s origin to China can be seen as part of a broader local Indonesian political strategy to delegitimize opposition while defending Chinese-owned business interests,” noted Julian Droogan, Professor in Security Studies at Macquarie University.

China’s information operation builds upon legitimate historical connections, such as the voyages of Zheng He, a Muslim admiral from Yunnan who visited Indonesia in the 15th century. This strategic blend of fact and fiction makes the narratives more credible to Indonesian audiences.

The campaign also complements China’s broader humanitarian diplomacy efforts in the Muslim world. While China has provided some aid to Gaza and other Muslim regions, many viral videos substantially exaggerate this assistance, including false claims about Chinese aircraft delivering humanitarian supplies.

“What makes this influence operation particularly effective is how these narratives are being localized within Indonesian society to support domestic political actors,” said Jennifer Williams, Lecturer in Cybersecurity Analysis at Macquarie University. “The foreign-sourced disinformation gets naturalized and amplified at the local level, making it more believable.”

For Indonesia, a country with complex historical relationships with both China and Islam, these information operations exploit sensitive cultural and religious identities. They also capitalize on existing tensions between various Indonesian religious organizations, particularly between Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization with approximately 48 million members, and Islamist groups with ties to Yemen.

As digital technology advances, distinguishing authentic cultural exchange from strategic information operations becomes increasingly challenging. This sophisticated blend of AI-generated content, historical revisionism, and targeted cultural messaging represents a new frontier in how global powers compete for influence in strategically important regions.