Reuters
September 30, 2018 / 8:37 AM / Updated 7 hours ago
[excerpt]
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-diplomacy/u-s-ambassador-accuses-china-of-bullying-with-propaganda-ads-idUSKCN1MA0HWBEIJING (Reuters) - A week after an official Chinese newspaper ran a four-page ad in a U.S. daily touting the mutual benefits of U.S.-China trade, the U.S. ambassador to China accused Beijing of using the American press to spread propaganda.
U.S. President Donald Trump last Wednesday referred to the China Daily’s paid supplement in the Des Moines Register - the state of Iowa’s biggest selling newspaper - after accusing China of seeking to meddle in the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, a charge China denies.
Trump’s accusation that Beijing was trying to meddle in U.S. elections marked what U.S. officials told Reuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China.