50 cent army

Etymology
A calque of, lit. "the 5 dime party", in reference to allegations that the Chinese government employs online shills paid 1/2 yuan RMB per online post at the time they first came to public attention.

Noun

 * 1) Alleged Internet users who are paid by the authorities of the People's Republic of China to spread propaganda and disinformation on their behalf.
 * 2)  Anyone seen as supportive of China or the Communist Party of China, whether paid or not.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 五毛黨
 * Japanese: 五毛党