Since the early 2000s, the Chinese government has spent billions and billions of dollars on boondoggles like China Global Television Network (CGTN) that are intended to tell what Xi Jinping calls “the China story” — the authorized version of how China and its leadership wish to be perceived by the rest of the world. Beijing has also invested heavily in advertising on major social media platforms.

The results have been lackluster, to say the least.

In 2019, China faced a barrage of critical news about its foreign policies and domestic affairs, which may have been the cue for a new push for global influence. Or perhaps the inspiration was Russia’s sweeping political disinformation campaign on U.S. social services, Trump’s aggressive Twitter diplomacy, or possibly the growing restrictions on political advertising on some social networks. Whatever the reason, Chinese diplomats began opening personal Twitter accounts.

According to the BBC, a total of 32 Chinese diplomats, embassies, and consulates launched their Twitter accounts in 2019, offering a wide range of content tailored for global audiences. This Twitter list of tweeting Chinese diplomats has 68.