Skip to main content

Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Cinema Organization of Iran

Written by Editors on .

The Cinema Organization of Iran or COI (سازمان سینمای ایران) is a state body operating under Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the agency that controls access to media on the basis of Iranian religious ethics and political considerations. The COI serves as the primary regulatory authority for the Iranian film industry, responsible for issuing production and screening permits for both domestic and international films. Examples of COI has exercising its authority in recent years include the banning of the 2022 family and feminist drama “Leila’s Brothers” after its director brought the film to Cannes without government approval, a decision that led to the film’s director and producer being sentenced to criminal penalties by an Islamic Revolutionary Court in August 2023.

China Today Turkey Edition Launches

Written by Editors on .

On November 16, 2010, the Turkish edition of China Today magazine was officially launched in Ankara. According to the publisher, Turkey’s Dijitek Grup, approximately 70 percent of the Turkish edition’s content would be sourced from three Chinese state media outlets — Beijing Review (北京週報), China Today (今日中國), and China Pictorial (人民畫報) — while Turkish journalists and analysts would produce the remaining 30 percent. The stated aim was to provide Turkish business readers with information about China’s economy and investment opportunities.  According to a report of the Turkish communication magazine MediaCat, China Today was initially published through a partnership (possibly a printing deal) between Dijitek Grup, a Turkish company, and China International Publishing Group (中國外文局) — a state-owned publishing group operating under the Central Propaganda Department. Chinese officials described the edition as the sixth international print version of the longstanding external propaganda outlet, and claimed it was “the only magazine introducing China in Turkish.” By 2012, Turkuvaz Media Group — a pro-government conglomerate with close ties to President Erdoğan’s administration — had assumed publishing responsibilities. Zhou Mingwei (周明偉), then director of China International Publishing Group, led the delegation and met with Turkish ministers Nihat Ergün and Ertuğrul Günay.

Chinese Consul Visits Iranian Media Outlets

Written by Editors on .

On October 25 and 26, 2025, Xu Wei (徐煒), China’s consul general in Bandar Abbas, visited the offices of two southern Iranian newspapers, Darya and Sobhe Sahel, and met with their directors. Xu introduced the outcomes of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, a key party meeting at which the senior leadership sets national policy priorities. Xu said the media is “an important channel for enhancing mutual understanding and friendship” between citizens of the two countries, though no specific details of any media cooperation agreements were provided during the session. The visits reflect broader Chinese efforts to cultivate regional media ties under the China–Iran comprehensive strategic partnership, formalized in a 25-year cooperation agreement in March 2021.

Sobh-e Sahel

Written by Editors on .

Sobh-e Sahel (صبح ساحل) is an Iranian regional newspaper based in Hormozgan Province, in the southern part of the country. Founded in 1985, it began publishing as a weekly after receiving a licence from Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The paper focuses on local news across Iran’s southern coastal region. Its coverage spans economics, protests, and public safety.

Chinese Embassy in Iran

Written by Editors on .

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Iran (中華人民共和國駐伊朗伊斯蘭共和國大使館) is China’s chief diplomatic mission in the country. The mission was established on August 16, 1971, when China and Iran formally established diplomatic relations with Iran –  a significant shift, as Iran had previously recognized the Republic of China (ROC) government in Taiwan. The embassy serves as the primary channel for political, economic, and cultural relations between the two countries.

Darya News

Written by Editors on .

Darya News (دریا نیوز) is an Iranian online news outlet founded in 2006 and based in Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. The outlet covers political, cultural, sports, and social news with a focus on Iran’s southern provinces. Alongside its website, Darya News maintains a social media presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram. As of March 2026, the outlet was led by owner and editor-in-chief Yaqoub Dabiri Nejad.

Rossotrudnichestvo

Written by Editors on .

Rossotrudnichestvo — formally the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation — is a Russian federal executive body operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, established by presidential decree on September 6, 2008. Its stated mandate is to promote Russian language, culture, and education abroad and to support Russian compatriots overseas. It maintains a global network of approximately 97 “Russian Houses” across 70 countries. Critics and independent analysts describe it as Russia’s primary instrument for soft power projection and hybrid influence, disseminating Kremlin narratives under the cover of cultural exchange. In July 2022, the European Union placed Rossotrudnichestvo under sanctions for running what the bloc described as a network of “agents of influence” spreading Kremlin narratives.

London Tech Week Partners with Nouvelles d’Europe

Written by Editors on .

In August 2025, London Tech Week announced a partnership with Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), designating the Chinese-language newspaper, which is linked to China’s United Front Work Department, as the sole Chinese-language media partner for its 2026 edition. According to Nouvelles d’Europe, the arrangement aims to facilitate exchanges between Chinese enterprises, entrepreneurs, and investors with UK and global markets, and will provide bilingual Chinese-English content alongside dedicated national exhibition spaces for Chinese enterprises at the event. The 2026 edition is also set to launch what the outlet describes as an “Asia-Europe Innovation Corridor” centered on China, to promote cooperation among enterprises, investors, and policymakers.

London Tech Week

Written by Editors on .

London Tech Week is an annual technology festival co-founded in 2014 by Founders Forum LLP, in partnership with Informa Festivals. Held each June in London, the festival brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and innovators from across the world for conferences, showcases, workshops, and networking events spanning the full technology ecosystem. The London Tech Week brand is owned by Informa Ltd. Its annual programme addresses emerging themes across the technology sector, including applied AI, enterprise resilience, deeptech, and quantum computing.