Facebook groups with thousands of members are helping to build public support for China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative in English-speaking countries, including Australia.

Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Co-operation in Beijing on Friday. Credit:AP

The groups publicise stories around China’s plan for global economic integration while criticising the Western rule-based order, sometimes using Russian-backed media.

The group 21SilkRoad, which includes Australians, shares a mix of news and material linked to Russia’s global propaganda apparatus, to “build a virtual community of the major centres along the Belt and Road Initiative megaproject”.