Suggesting a third world war, the claim first appeared soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But the doom merchants were just making stuff up.

MARY ALEXANDER • 22 APRIL 2024
Published by Africa Check on 25 April 2024

“WW3 ALERT.”

That’s the fearmongering theme of a false message circulating on social media since mid-March 2024. WW3 refers to a possible third world war.

The message claims that China has said it will “intervene militarily” if the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) attack Russia.*

China, Russia and the US are among the world’s most powerful countries. Nato – also known by its French acronym Otan – is a military alliance formed in 1949 in response to a perceived threat from the Russia-controlled Soviet Union, which fell apart in 1991.

Nato’s members include Canada and the US in North America, countries in Europe, and Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia. Its newest member is the previously nonaligned European country of Sweden, which joined on 7 March 2024.

China and Russia are not Nato members.

The false claim has recently appeared on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) in Nigeria, South Africa and elsewhere. Its versions include:

• CHINA WARNS USA AND NATO. “China is ready to intervene militarily anywhere if the US or NATO decide to attack Russia,” said a Chinese Defense Ministry official.
• “China is prepared to get militarily involved anywhere, if the US and NATO decide ro attack Russia.” ~Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defence. The Chinese know that if the US and NATO are not stopped now, it will be China’s turn next.
• TANKEFEI, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense: “#China is ready to intervene militarily anywhere if the #US or #NATO were to undertake to attack #Russia”
• China Declared that they are Ready, to intervene anywhere militarily if US or Nato Attack Russia. It Brics VS West.

Brics is an intergovernmental grouping founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Many versions of the claim include a video of Chinese president Xi Jinping addressing a huge crowd of soldiers, with military vehicles behind them.

Others link to a 17 March article on the India-based website Times Now, headlined: “China ‘Ready to Intervene’ if US, NATO attack Russia: Report”.

But the claim is false, and old. It first appeared online more than two years ago, when it was dismissed by China’s military.

‘Stop manufacturing and disseminating false information’

First, the video of Xi addressing soldiers is more than six years old. It was posted in an article on the UK Guardian’s website, dated 4 January 2018 and headlined: “Chinese army puts on show of military might for Xi Jinping – video”.

The clip shows 7,000 troops at the start of military training outside Beijing, China’s capital. The subtitles to Xi’s speech do not mention the US, Nato or Russia.

Second, the only source Times Now credits in its article is the dodgy Telegram channel WW3.INFO Battlefield Research. The channel has been criticised for posting false information.

Third, the claim dates back to late February 2022 in the days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

At the time it circulated only in French and Spanish. But machine translations show it’s the same claim.

• From French: “Chinese Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Tan Kefei said that anytime, anywhere, they are ready to support Russia in case the United States and NATO want to intervene militarily.”
• From Spanish: “CHINA WILL SUPPORT RUSSIA IF THE US AND NATO INTERVENE MILITARY… It was announced by the Chinese Ministry of Defense. #China #Rusia #Ucrania #EEUU #OTAN #Asia #Europa #Francia #Alemania”

The original claim, in Spanish, can also be seen here, here and here.

At the time, it was fact-checked by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which found it had no basis in fact.

The fact-check adds that China’s defence ministry “strongly denied” the claim.

AFP quotes the ministry as saying (in a machine translation from French): “The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defence has never made this statement. We urge relevant media to observe professional ethics and stop manufacturing and disseminating false information.”

And there has been no recent credible news that China announced it would mount a military intervention in the still-unlikely event that the US and Nato invade Russia. Such an announcement would have made global headlines.

* Some claims posted on Facebook and Instagram may have been deleted by users after being rated via Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program.