
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.

On December 24, 2014, Xinhua News Agency reported on the launch of the Chinese-language edition of Icelandic Times magazine. The coverage featured an interview with then-Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who described China as “a country creating the future” and emphasized Iceland’s interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in tourism. Tourism Minister Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir also appeared in the coverage, welcoming Chinese tourists. The Xinhua report promoted the magazine’s first Chinese edition and announced plans for a second edition to be printed and distributed in China in February 2015, along with the launch of the Chinese-language website www.icelandictimes.cn. This coverage established Icelandic Times as a platform for Chinese state media engagement and narrative framing with Icelandic audiences, as well as promotion of Iceland to Chinese tourists.
