China is spending billions of dollars globally to spread disinformation and threatening to cause a “sharp contraction” in freedom of speech around the world, warned a US State Department report published Thursday. China’s “global information manipulation is not simply a matter of public diplomacy – but a challenge to the integrity of the global information space,” the report said. “Unchecked, Beijing’s efforts could result in a future in which technology exported by the PRC (People’s Republic of China), co-opted local governments, and fear of Beijing’s direct retaliation produce a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression.” The report, released by…