Editor's note: Miao Zhengming is an associate professor in the School of National Security, People's Public Security University of China. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Recently, certain Western officials and media outlets have sought to smear China by propagating the narrative that China is the "source" of telecom and online fraud, without grounding their claims in objective investigations. This constitutes a form of public opinion manipulation driven by strong geopolitical motives. Its underlying intentions can be understood in four ways.

First, it serves the geopolitical competition pursued by the US and other Western countries by perpetuating their habitual use of false narratives. Driven by geopolitical agendas, these officials and media outlets employ a consistent smear campaign that politicizes the issue of telecom and online fraud; this follows the same pattern as their hype regarding the "Chinese hacker threat" and the "Chinese spy threat." Telecom and online fraud are merely the latest pretext for such political manipulation.

Moreover, it aims to tarnish China's international image and undermine its influence in public safety. Through these false narratives, the US and the West seek to portray China as a "creator of global security problems," thereby eroding its credibility in the international fight against telecom and online fraud.

Having long dominated international security agendas, the US attempts to use stigmatization to counteract China's growing influence in public safety governance as the country works to promote global cooperation against fraud.

Furthermore, it is a case of treating internal ailments with external remedies–scapegoating China and diverting attention from domestic contradictions and governance failures within the US and other Western countries.

Certain Western nations, mired in difficulties in combating telecom and online fraud, attempt to mask their own systemic and governance failures by fabricating the image of an "external enemy" and shifting social tensions outward. Fundamentally, this is an act of scapegoating.

In addition, some politicians and media outlets cater to electoral politics and special interest groups. Certain Western politicians and media outlets cultivate a narrative climate in which criticizing China can generate superficial domestic support. Some interest groups in the US and the West–including the military-industrial complex, intelligence agencies, and lobbying groups–may profit by hyping up the so-called China threat.

Such false narratives and smears inflict serious harm on global efforts to combat telecom and online fraud. On one hand, certain Western media outlets attempt to undermine the necessity of international cooperation against telecom and online fraud through stigmatizing rhetoric.

By sidestepping the root causes of crime and governance shortcomings, the US and the West politicize transnational crime, deliberately fabricate negative narratives about China, tarnish the international image of Global South countries, including China, and hinder deep cooperation in cross-border law enforcement, particularly in the fight against telecom and online fraud. Such fraud now severely threatens the security of public assets and erodes social trust. Having evolved into a form of transnational organized crime, it urgently requires a cooperative international response to curb it.

On the other hand, such one-sided reporting premised on a "presumption of guilt" undermines the global fight against fraud. By ignoring China's efforts to share anti-fraud expertise and collaborate with multiple nations on law enforcement, the US and the West manufacture confrontation through rhetoric, severely damaging the atmosphere of anti-fraud cooperation. Such narratives are highly misleading and destructive.

However, actions speak louder than words. China is taking various concrete measures to combat telecom and online fraud. It has intensified efforts to crack down on telecom and online fraud domestically and internationally.

Statistics show that in the first half of 2026, the number of telecom and online fraud cases filed in China fell by 15.6% year on year. Authorities delivered face-to-face warnings to 2.926 million people, and the number of such cases declined year on year for 11 consecutive months beginning in October 2025.

Since the beginning of 2026, police authorities from China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates have engaged in unprecedented international law enforcement cooperation to jointly combat telecom and online fraud, successfully dismantling nine fraud dens and apprehending 276 suspects.  

Secondly, a comprehensive legal system has been established. China has built a legal framework centered on the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China, supported by the Criminal Law and relevant judicial interpretations, creating a legal net that enables a full-chain crackdown on these crimes.

Also, systematic cooperation through international mechanisms has been strengthened. On September 10, an international alliance aimed at combating cross-border telecom and cyber fraud held its inaugural conference in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province. Foreign participants highly commended China's sense of responsibility in establishing this alliance. They hailed the initiative as an important step toward stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated global action against the rapidly spreading transnational security threat.

Ultimately, the fight against telecom and online fraud should be guided by facts, evidence, and international cooperation, rather than geopolitical narratives and unfounded accusations. China's concrete actions and growing cooperation with other countries demonstrate that tackling this transnational crime requires joint efforts, not the politicization or stigmatization of any particular country.

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