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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

China-Arab TV

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China-Arab TV is a Dubai-based Arabic satellite television network founded in 2014 by Chinese entrepreneurs Liu Haitao (刘海涛) and Liu Haijiang (刘海江) possibly with Emirati royal backing. Initially focused on promoting Chinese products in the Middle East, the network was acquired in 2016 by Hong Kong-listed V1 Group (now Crazy Sports) under CEO Zhang Lijun (张力军), who has extensive ties to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through his role as chairman of the China APEC Development Council. Despite consistent financial losses, China-Arab TV maintains strategic partnerships with major Chinese state media organizations including China Media Group, CCTV, and Xinhua News Agency, positioning itself as a key platform for China’s external propaganda efforts in the Arab world. Investigations show that the media group has close ties to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

NRTA Signs MOU with UAE Media Council

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On May 30, 2024, in Beijing, China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) and the United Arab Emirates Media Council signed a memorandum of understanding, witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平) and visiting UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agreement, signed by NRTA Director Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) and UAE National Media Office Director Abdullah, purportedly establishes cooperation in policy communication, content collaboration, program exchanges, personnel exchanges, technology applications, and industry development. According to the Chinese state-affiliated source, the UAE Media Council serves as the government authority responsible for media policy formulation and industry regulation, though the specific details of implementation and the practical scope of this media partnership remain unclear.

UAE Media Council

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The UAE Media Council (UAEMC), established in February 2023 by federal decree under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, serves as the Emirates’ primary media regulatory authority. The entity apparently supersedes the previous National Media Council, which changed in 2021. Chaired by Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, who also heads the National Media Office, the council coordinates federal and local media efforts while proposing legislation to regulate and license all media outlets, including those in free zones. Though its language is highly professionalized, including a stated “mission” and “vision,” the council plays a crucial role in the control of media and content. According to its About Us page, the council’s mandate includes “reviewing and approving media content for all that is printed, published and broadcast within the UAE, including those operating in free zones” and “registering and accrediting media professionals and correspondents of foreign media in the country” — raising questions about the extent of its oversight powers.

Government of the United Arab Emirates

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The United Arab Emirates, formed in 1971 as a federation of seven emirates, operates under an authoritarian federal monarchy with limited democratic elements. The UAE’s federal structure includes a Supreme Council comprising the hereditary rulers of each emirate, a Council of Ministers, and a Federal National Council. The President, currently Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also serves as ruler of Abu Dhabi, while Dubai’s ruler serves as Vice-President and Prime Minister. The Federal National Council has only an “advisory role” with half its 40 members elected and half appointed, including a mandated 50 percent female representation since 2023 elections. Despite official claims that “every citizen has the opportunity to express their opinion frankly,” power remains concentrated among the ruling families, with no political parties permitted and civil liberties significantly restricted. Media development and regulation activities are handled by the UAE Media Council, which reviews and approves all content published or broadcast within the UAE and has cooperated at the state level with the People’s Republic of China.

Science and Technology Daily Cooperation Partnership with Nouvelles d’Europe

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Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), described as “the most influential Chinese news organisation in continental Europe” by the publication itself, was established in Paris in 1983, signed a news cooperation memorandum with China’s Science and Technology Daily (科技日報) in November 2023. The agreement, signed on November 24 by Nouvelles d’Europe President Zhong Cheng (鍾誠) and Science and Technology Daily President Zhang Biyong (張碧湧), establishes formal cooperation to “promote the dissemination of scientific and technological innovation achievements.” The partnership involves exchanging news resources in images, text, and video formats, providing coverage of important China-France and China-Europe science and technology news in English. Science and Technology Daily was founded in 1986 by China’s National Science and Technology Commission and other state organizations. Nouvelles d’Europe has expanded from a four-page irregular publication to a comprehensive media group with daily newspapers, websites, cultural centers, and branches across Europe and Beijing.

Chinese-Ukrainian Media Sign Cooperation Agreement

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On June 20, 2019, China’s Science and Technology Daily (科技日報) signed a cooperation agreement with Ukraine’s Uryadovy Kuryer (Government Courier) in Kyiv. Led by Editor-in-Chief Li Ping (李平), the Chinese delegation met with Ukrainian counterparts including Editor-in-Chief Sergii Braga to strengthen media collaboration and information exchange. The agreement facilitates regular content sharing and website cross-linking between these publications. Science and Technology Daily, described as a central major news media and the Party and state’s science and technology news and public opinion position, partnered with Uryadovy Kuryer, Ukraine’s official newspaper of the Cabinet of Ministers. Uryadovy Kuryer, which has been published since October 1990, is among Ukraine’s leading government publications. According to the Chinese source, the Ukrainian newspaper is considered “an important window” for understanding Ukrainian political dynamics and economic developments.

Chinese Embassy Hosts Media Symposium in Senegal

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On December 15, 2015, the Chinese Embassy in Senegal hosted a media symposium focusing on “The Role of Media in China-Senegal Cooperation.” Over 20 journalists from major Senegalese media outlets, including the national television station, state news agency, Future Media television, and official newspapers Le Soleil and Le Quotidien, along with Chinese news agencies such as Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, and Economic Daily, attended the event. Ambassador Zhang Xun (張迅) highlighted achievements from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (中非合作論壇) Johannesburg Summit, which took place December 4-5, 2015, describing it as opening “a new era of win-win cooperation and common development” between China and Africa. Participating journalists shared experiences from covering the summit and “highly praised” its outcomes. They agreed that China-Africa and China-Senegal media cooperation has “enormous potential and bright prospects,” emphasizing the importance of expanding communication channels to enhance mutual understanding and promote cooperative development.

Science and Technology Daily

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Science and Technology Daily is the official newspaper of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, established in 1986 with its name calligraphed by Deng Xiaoping. Based in Beijing, it’s a state-run media outlet described by Chinese authorities as a “central mainstream media” tasked with “propaganda missions for the Party and the state in science and technology.” The publication claims to maintain 33 domestic bureaus and 14 international offices, positioning itself as a comprehensive media organization connecting domestic and international science communities. The paper gained historical significance as one of the few Chinese publications to cover the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. In 2021, it launched an English edition “dedicated to telling China’s science and technology innovation story to the world.”

China Radio International and the Philippine Presidential Broadcasting Service Launch “Wow China” Broadcast

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Wow China, a collaborative radio program between the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) under the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and China Radio International (中國國際廣播電台), aired on government station Radyo Pilipinas from 2018 to at least May 2020. China Radio International operates under China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), which was established in March 2018 through the integration of China Central Television, China National Radio, and China Radio International, and is under the leadership of the Central Propaganda Department, according to HK01‘s report on the official announcement. The program described itself as a “light cultural program” focusing on China-Philippines cultural exchange, but sparked significant backlash in May 2020 amid tensions over the South China Sea and the coronavirus pandemic, with critics calling it “pro-China propaganda” funded by Filipino taxpayers. The controversy intensified as it coincided with the government’s cease and desist order against ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ largest media network, leading lawmakers to question the use of taxpayer money for the program.