Indonesia’s media landscape faces economic pressures and safety threats, creating openings for Chinese state media to expand influence through content partnerships, all-expenses-paid tours, and editorial agreements that normalize Beijing’s narratives.

China’s Global Civilization Initiative ministerial meeting draws little fanfare despite claiming to draw 600 leaders from 140 countries.

China and ASEAN launch joint AI media initiative as Beijing expands its technological influence regionally.

On a tour of cities in China, Indonesian influencers gushed about food and culture while millions of followers watched. Seemingly spontaneous, the tour was actually a Chinese state strategy.

A training session for Southeast Asian journalists hosted by the foreign affairs office in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang is a reminder that China’s state agendas are being actively pushed not just from the top, but from the local and regional levels as well.