Experts Skeptical of Claims That China Is Funding US Data Center Opposition
Despite right-wing officials and investors blaming China for fueling protests against data centers, experts say any foreign interference only adds to existing local tensions, not causes them.
Allegations that the Chinese government is funding and orchestrating opposition to data center development in the United States are being met with skepticism from experts. While right-wing politicians and data center investors have increasingly made such claims, researchers interviewed by WIRED say the evidence is thin and that any foreign involvement is likely just amplifying pre-existing domestic discontent.
Opposition to data centers in the US has surged in recent months. A poll by climate outlet Heatmap found that more than half of Americans support a moratorium on new data center construction. Another survey by UK-based Public First showed US support for data centers was the lowest among 15 countries surveyed.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to the acting attorney general requesting an investigation into Chinese influence. House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans also wrote to the White House and FBI. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox Business that communities trying to build data centers are "getting bombarded" with foreign propaganda.
Developer Kevin O’Leary, pushing a controversial Utah data center, used a graphic from a Bitcoin Policy Institute report alleging foreign influence. However, social media analytics firm Graphika found no evidence of organized foreign campaigns, except for some AI-generated avatar networks and Facebook pages operated from Bangladesh, possibly for profit.
OpenAI released a report identifying Chinese-origin accounts spreading anti-data-center messages, but noted no "meaningful breakout" of their content. The Bitcoin Policy Institute report, cited by Republicans, claims Chinese state media are campaigning against US data centers. But experts like Kyle Chan of Brookings and Graham Webster of Stanford argue such coverage is normal for international news agencies and does not prove direct Chinese government involvement.
Chan suggests the OpenAI report fits a pattern of Chinese actors amplifying legitimate US grievances to make the country look bad. He cautions against overestimating the impact of these efforts without more evidence.
