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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

ACJA Meets African, South Asian and Southeast Asian Journalists

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On April 25, 2017, Wang Dongmei (王冬梅), secretary of the All-China Journalists Association (中國記協), met with 42 journalists from 39 countries across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia in Beijing. Wang emphasized China’s growing economic and media ties with these regions, claiming the journalists’ association follows principles of “openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit” (開放、合作、共贏) while promoting Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路). The foreign journalists were invited by the China-Africa Press Exchange Center (中非新聞交流中心) and China-South Asia Southeast Asia Exchange Center (中國-南亞東南亞交流中心), which were established in 2014 and 2016 respectively under China’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework. These centers arrange 10-month programs for international journalists featuring themed reporting and cultural experiences, with the China-Africa Press Exchange Center placing “African journalists in Chinese media outlets on 10-month assignments where they work in Chinese newsrooms and report on high-level CCP activities.”

China- Southeast Asia Exchange Center

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Established in 2016, the China-South Asia and Southeast Asia Exchange Center (中國-南亞東南亞交流中心) operates under the China Public Diplomacy Association. The center organizes annual 10-month programs inviting journalists from South Asian and Southeast Asian countries to China for thematic reporting, media exchanges, and cultural experiences. Despite its active role in facilitating cross-cultural understanding and strengthening China’s ties with Belt and Road Initiative countries, the center maintains minimal public visibility, lacking an official website or social media presence. Its activities are primarily documented through Chinese state media coverage of diplomatic events and journalist exchanges.

Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communication

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The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, established in December 2007 under Government Decree No. 178/2007/ND-CP, was the government body responsible for managing the country’s information and communication sector. It oversaw areas including press, publishing, postal services, telecommunications, internet, broadcasting, and national information infrastructure. On March 1, 2025, the MIC officially ceased operations following its merger with the Ministry of Science and Technology to form the new Ministry of Science and Technology. The National Assembly approved the appointment of Nguyen Manh Hung as the new minister on February 18, 2025, with the merger taking effect on March 1, 2025, under Government Decree No. 55.

Solomon Islands Media Join BRI Media Seminar

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Media professionals from the Solomon Islands participated in a two-week seminar on “Full-Media Communication for Belt and Road Countries” (一帶一路國家全媒體傳播研修班) in China from June 6-19, 2025, according to a Solomon Islands Ministry of Rural Development press release. The program was organized by the Research and Training Institute of the National Radio and Television Administration (國家廣播電視總局研究培訓中心), which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The seminar included 30 media professionals from Belt and Road Initiative countries. The Solomon Islands delegation comprised Frederick Osifelo (Solomon Telekom Company Limited), Stephen Hachi (NIU Solomons), Karl Tokuro Vaekesa (Studio Homegrown Productions), and Stephen Diisango (Ministry of Rural Development). Since establishing diplomatic relations with China in September 2019, Beijing has provided approximately $730 million in financial aid to the Solomon Islands. The training was funded by China’s Ministry of Commerce.

Channel 7

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Channel 7, officially Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Company Limited, is Thailand’s pioneering commercial television network that launched on November 27, 1967. The station made history as the first color television broadcaster in Mainland Southeast Asia, initially operating under the name “Bangkok Colour Television Network” using PAL color technology in the CCIR 625-line standard. The inaugural broadcast featured the 1967 Miss Thailand Pageant during the Wachirathon Memorial event at Wang Saran Rom. The network began satellite transmission in 1978, becoming Thailand’s first station to broadcast nationwide via satellite from Bangkok to regional stations. Channel 7 launched its digital HD feed on April 25, 2014, on channel 35 and completely ceased analog broadcasting on June 16, 2018.

RTV

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RTV is a Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel that launched on 26 December 2005 and has become one of Bangladesh’s most popular television channels. Originally founded by Mohammad Mosaddak Ali Falu, a former Bangladesh Nationalist Party parliamentarian, the channel commenced test broadcasts on 1 December 2005 and officially began transmissions on 26 December that year. When Falu was jailed in 2007, RTV changed hands and went over to Bengal Group, with multiple sources noting that “a state intelligence agency was involved in this share transfer”. The channel is now owned by Bengal Media Corporation, part of the Bengal Group of Industries controlled by Awami League member of parliament Morshed Alam (মোর্শেদ আলম) and his family. RTV is headquartered in the BSEC Building in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka and primarily airs entertainment and news programming. The channel has expanded internationally, and has launched its own video-on-demand service called RTV Plus on 24 May 2020.

The Independent

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The Independent was an English-language daily newspaper published in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that launched on March 26, 1995, by Beximco Group, making it the first four-color, 16-page daily in the country and the first to use imported newsprint. The newspaper was owned by Bangladesh Export Import Company Limited, commonly known as Beximco Group, which was founded in the 1970s by brothers Ahmed Sohail Fasihur Rahman and Salman Fazlur Rahman. The Independent introduced Bangladesh’s first 32-page weekend magazine and underwent a rebranding in October 2010 with an enhanced focus on fast and authentic news coverage. The newspaper ceased printed publication in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ceased all operations in 2022.

China and Australia Sign Six Media Cooperation Agreements

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A China-Australia media exchange and cooperation signing ceremony was held in Sydney on May 27, 2016, where six agreements were signed between Chinese and Australian media organizations. Zhou Zongmin (周宗敏), Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency (新華通訊社), signed a memorandum of understanding with Bob Carr, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney and former Australian Foreign Minister. Other agreements included China Daily (中國日報社) with Fairfax Media Group, China Radio International (中國國際廣播電台) with Global CAMG Media, and People’s Daily Online with Australian News Channel. Carr stated that “media cooperation is an important channel for Australia to truly understand China.” The ceremony highlighted what Beijing characterized as the strengthening of bilateral media relationships within the broader China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership framework

Australian News Channel Pty Ltd

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Australian News Channel (ANC) is a media company that operates Sky News Australia and related channels. The company was founded in 1995, originally as a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting, Seven Media Group, and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (澳洲廣播出版有限公司). Sky News Australia itself launched on 19 February 1996 as Australia’s first domestically produced television news channel. The company operates several broadcasting services, including Sky News Australia, Sky News Extra, Sky News Weather Channel, Sky News Regional, and international services like Sky News New Zealand. News Corp Australia acquired the entire company in December 2016, buying out the original stakeholders who had rejected a News Corp takeover offer of A$20 million in June 2015, with the owners wanting a minimum of A$50 million. The deal was worth approximately A$20 million according to industry sources.