
X Marks the Spot
Elon Musk’s new messaging app was built with Chinese users in mind. It was censored before it ever reached them, with related news coverage from state media also pulled down.

China Media Group’s “Thousand Overseas Screens” (海外千屏) program will deploy promotional content for the “China Travel with Chinese Films” (跟著電影遊中國) campaign across more than 600 public screens in 28 countries during 2026, according to a February 4 announcement at a special promotion event in Shenzhen. The initiative, co-hosted by the China Film Administration (CFA) and CMG, places content in high-visibility locations including cinema chains in seven major US cities, shopping centers, and diplomatic venues. Promotional materials feature 2026 Spring Festival films alongside tourism content about filming locations, supporting China’s international communication strategy to present a “credible, lovable, respectable China” (可信、可愛、可敬的中國). The campaign integrates with CMG’s Spring Festival Gala global viewing events and Chinese embassy receptions, demonstrating coordinated party-state soft power deployment through commercial-cultural channels.
