Cangzhou Opens Brussels Hub With Xinhua

On August 24, 2022, Xinhuanet (新華網), the publicly listed online platform of China’s government-run news agency, Xinhua, signed a cooperation agreement in Beijing with the government of Cangzhou, a port city in Hebei province, and unveiled the Cangzhou International Communication Center (滄州市國際傳播中心). According toXinhuanet, the launch opened a Europe branch of the center in Brussels offering “24-hour international communication services.” The propaganda office of the Cangzhou CCP Committee later said the branch was set up in Brussels as the “seat of the EU headquarters,” part of a strategy of “borrowing a boat to go out to sea” (借船出海) through central media’s overseas resources. Chinese scholars have noted that the branch drew on the “advantages” (優勢) of Xinhua’s overseas branch offices. Xinhua’s Europe regional bureau has been based in Brussels since 2004. Li Shengjiang (李生江), chief of the bureau, pledged “full support” for the branch’s operations, saying it would build Cangzhou’s reputation in Europe and set an example for others. Xinhuanet also operates a wholly owned subsidiary in the region, Xinhuanet Europe B.V. Xinhuanet chairman Liu Jian (劉健) said the center would “spread Cangzhou’s good voice” (傳播滄州好聲音). He added that it would create a favorable “public opinion atmosphere” (輿論氛圍) for attracting investment, language rooted in CCP doctrine on guiding public opinion.