Deutsche Welle-CCTV Cooperation Agreement

In August and September 2014, Deutsche Welle (德國之聲) Director General Peter Limbourg announced cooperation agreements with China Central Television (中央電視台), including co-productions in music and business programming. Just months later, in early 2015, Deutsche Welle announced it would temporarily suspend the partnership after it came under scrutiny from the German Bundestag, according to testimony given by journalist Su Yutong before a hearing of the US Congressional-Executive Commission in 2016. Su’s CECC testimony alleged that Deutsche Welle had softened the stance of the network’s Chinese-language coverage on China after a meeting between Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde and Peter Limbourg. The announced 2014 cooperation between Deutsche Welle and CCTV also drew strong criticism at the time from Reporters Without Borders Germany, which called it “incompatible” with DW’s mission, noting CCTV’s role in China’s “repressive apparatus” against journalists.