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Activity Type: Placement of PRC Party-State Content

Shenyang Hosts Cross-Strait Media Youth Symposium

Written by Dalia Parete on .

On September 10, 2025, the Liaoning Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office (遼寧省委台辦) and Liaoning Communication University (遼寧傳媒學院) hosted a cross-strait media symposium titled “Liaoning-Taiwan Perspectives: A Mirror for the Future” (遼台視界 鏡啟未來) in Shenyang. Nearly 40 participants attended, including journalists from Taiwan, social media personalities, reporters from Hong Kong, and professors from Liaoning Communication University. Participants included Yuan Tianming (袁天明), chairman of the little-known Chinese Journalists Association (中華新聞記者協會), or CJA TW, who was misidentified as chairman of the Association of Taiwan Journalists (台灣新聞記者協會), a professional non-governmental organization composed of Taiwanese journalists. Yuan characterized the event as “meaningful for deepening cross-strait exchange” and complimented China’s grand official commemoration on September 3 of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. During the symposium, three Taiwanese nationals identified as social media personalities (自媒體人)— Sun Ziyun (孫子芸), James (邱慶齡), and Wu Zhichun (吳志淳) — shared their personal experiences working in China. Sun Ziyun described Liaoning as her “second hometown,” while Wu Zhichun promoted the province’s policies for Taiwanese entrepreneurs, including office space, tax benefits, and housing subsidies. James, visiting Liaoning for the first time, shared his experience of having participated in the September 3 military parade. While identified as social media personalities, the three Taiwanese participants have chiefly been promoters of China and its message of cross-strait integration, and seem to have little appreciable impact inside Taiwan.

Global Times Hosts Dialogue in Brussels

Written by Editors on .

On January 27, 2026, the Global Times (環球時報), a CCP-controlled tabloid founded in 1993 under People’s Daily (人民日報), the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, co-hosted a media and think-tank forum in Brussels titled “Global Dialogue – China-EU Resonance.” Co-organizers were the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics (對外經濟貿易大學) and the Brussel’s based but China-linked Institute for China-Europe Studies. The forum, framed around the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, brought together what the Global Times described as “dozens of guests” from Chinese and European think tanks, media outlets, and business communities. However, a full participant’s list cannot be found online. Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Fei Shengchao (費勝潮) and a representative of the Chinese Mission to the EU both delivered speeches conveying the standard CCP narrative that there are “no fundamental conflicts of interest” between China and the EU. This concept is routinely used by Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping, despite real underlying differences over such issues as human rights concerns in China, the government’s policies in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The forum also featured the release of a poll from the Global Times Institute, a research unit under the media outlet, that purported to show that people in the EU have confidence in future trade and are interested in high-tech and digital cooperation. The poll was reportedly conducted between October and November 2025 across 20 EU member states as well as inside China — with more than 16,000 respondents, according to the Global Times. Unlike professional surveys like those conducted by Pew Research, the questionnaire for the survey was not made public, and the Global Times Institute did not explain its methodology. Polls are highly politicized in China, where the CCP’s policy is to “guide” public opinion, not to measure it objectively.

Chinese Embassy Places Content in Two Icelandic Media

Written by Editors on .

On October 1, 2019, the Chinese Embassy in Iceland collaborated with two Icelandic publications — the daily newspaper Morgunblaðið and the Icelandic Times — to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The embassy produced an eight-page Icelandic supplement and a 38-page English special edition containing data on China’s development and articles on bilateral relations. Ambassador Jin Zhijian (金智健) used these platforms to state China’s positions on the “Belt and Road” initiative, Arctic policy, and trade friction. The publications included interviews and articles from Icelandic figures, including the former president and the Minister of Education, Science, and Culture. This cooperation serves as a regional example of the “borrowed boat” (借船出海) strategy, where the Chinese Communist Party utilizes established foreign media outlets to disseminate its official narratives and policy perspectives to a local audience.

Xi Pens Article in Cambodian Newspaper During Visit

Written by Editors on .

President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article in three Cambodian media outlets on April 17, 2025, during his state visit to Cambodia (柬埔寨). The article appeared in the Khmer Times (高棉時報), Jian Hua Daily (柬華日報), and the Fresh News website (新鮮新聞網). This media engagement was part of Xi’s three-nation Southeast Asian tour amid U.S.-China trade tensions, with the article first reported by Xinhua News Agency. Titled “Working Together for Mutual Success” (雙向奔赴、相互成就), the article highlights China-Cambodia relations spanning nearly 2,000 years and their “ironclad friendship” (鐵杆友誼). Xi outlined cooperation frameworks in politics, economics, security, culture, and strategy, while reaffirming China’s support for Cambodia’s sovereignty and development path. The visit concluded a regional tour that emphasized resistance to protectionism as both countries face significant U.S. tariffs.

Honduran State TV Airs CGTN Program Amid Diplomatic Shift

Written by Editors on .

On March 26, 2023, just hours after Honduras severed ties with Taiwan, the Chinese international state broadcaster CGTN (中國國際電視台) aired a special program on Canal Ocho (第八頻道), Honduras’s state-owned “Channel 8.” The program, clearly prepared well in advance of the shift of diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the PRC, revealed the diplomatic role played by Chinese state media in the transition. CGTN operates under China Media Group (中國媒體集團), the state-run conglomerate directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department (中央宣傳部). CMG subsequently established a permanent bureau in Tegucigalpa, while Xinhua News Agency (新華社) opened a local office positioned as a hub for Central American operations. Shortly afterward, 30 Honduran journalists participated in a ten-day, all-expenses-paid tour of China under Foreign Ministry supervision — consistent with Beijing’s post-recognition media engagement strategy across the region.

Xi Pens article for Serbian Media

Written by Editors on .

On May 7, 2024, the Serbian newspaper Politika published a signed article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) titled “May the Light of Our Ironclad Friendship Shine on the Path of China-Serbia Cooperation” (願中塞鐵桿友誼之光照亮中塞合作之路). The placement of the article corresponded with Xi’s state visit to Serbia. In the article, Xi emphasized the “ironclad friendship” between China and Serbia, highlighting mutual support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. The article also referenced the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia during a NATO aerial bombing campaign on May 7, 1999, which killed three Chinese journalists. Xi’s article referred to the bilateral relationship emotively as a “friendship forged in fresh blood” (中塞两国人民用鲜血凝成的友谊).

Xinhua and Diario El Salvador Launch Joint Media Compendium

Written by Editors on .

On September 27, 2024, the state-funded Diario El Salvador and China’s Xinhua News Agency formally presented a joint publication titled “Reportajes de encuentros: la relación China-El Salvador” (Encounter Reports: The China-El Salvador Relationship). A related promotion appeared on Diario El Salvador‘s Instagram account. The presentation took place at the editorial offices of Diario El Salvador and was attended by its editorial director, Luis Laínez. The compendium features reports from Salvadoran journalists who traveled to China, alongside Xinhua content translated for a local audience covering sectors like technology, electromobility, and infrastructure. The event coincided with the 75th anniversary of the PRC and the 6th anniversary of bilateral ties, serving as a formalization of content-sharing between the two state-aligned entities.

China Hosts Salvadoran Journalists for “Two Sessions” Press Tour

Written by Editors on .

In March 2026, the PRC invited a select group of Salvadoran journalists, primarily from state-aligned outlets, to cover the annual “Two Sessions” political event in Beijing. Such invitations generally include all-expenses-paid travel and “capacity building” workshops that emphasize the successes of the Chinese socialist model. By providing exclusive access to high-level political meetings, the PRC ensures that the resulting coverage in El Salvador mirrors the official Chinese perspective on sensitive topics like the “One China” principle and Chinese investments and infrastructure support that, some critics argue, serve geopolitical objectives that could be damaging to the country.

Chinese Premier Publishes Article in Thai Media Outlets

Written by Editors on .

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) published a signed article in five Thai newspapers on November 2, 2019, ahead of attending East Asian cooperation leaders’ meetings in Bangkok. The piece appeared in Matichon, Khaosod, Prachachat, Bangkok Post and Sing Sian Rit Pao (星暹日報). Li’s article discussed China-ASEAN economic ties, noting China had been ASEAN’s largest trading partner for ten consecutive years while ASEAN became China’s second-largest trading partner in 2019. He mentioned ongoing South China Sea negotiations and highlighted the upcoming 45th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations in 2020. The piece was published as Li prepared for his third official visit to Thailand as the premier.