Influencer Diplomacy Meets US-China Narrative Competition: Hasan Piker’s China Trip as a Case Study
SCMP reports that US streamer Hasan Piker’s China visit and live-streams were widely circulated online, including by Chinese state-linked outlets, triggering accusations that he was serving Beijing’s soft power. Piker argues his intent was observational and that visibility should not be equated with endorsement, highlighting how amplification networks can harden binary narratives in US-China discourse.