Prominent academics call on Beijing to move beyond ‘passive mindset’ and shape international public opinion favourable to its interests
2-MIN READ2-MINVanessa Caiin ShanghaiPublished: 11:00pm, 7 May 2026Beijing should adopt a more assertive approach to global cognitive warfare, Chinese scholars said, calling for more action amid a great power rivalry.The appeal was made by Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, and Ding Zhuang, an associate research fellow at the institute, who said in a paper last week that China should improve its cognitive warfare system with strengthened “cognitive sovereignty”.
“It is necessary to move beyond the traditional, passive mindset of ‘cognitive defence’ and instead adopt the strategic concept of ‘cognitive sovereignty’,” they wrote, noting that this idea was essential for gaining an upper hand in the competition.
They said methods should include proactively setting agendas, introducing original concepts and creating Chinese narratives.
“We should actively compete for international discursive power, directing the focus of competition towards opposing discursive dominance and cognitive manipulation,” they said.
