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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

CCP Media Group Launches Column in German Paper

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China Media Group (CMG) (中央廣播電視總台) and Germany’s Berliner Zeitung (柏林日報) launched a new column in November 2024 called “China Perspective,” featuring articles by CMG reporters. The column’s first piece, published on November 16, analyzed Volkswagen’s factory closures while highlighting China’s developments in electric vehicles. A second article, published on November 30, discussed the C919 commercial airliner and promoted Beijing’s narrative that China is “becoming an important global player” in aviation, citing developments in fighter jets and transport aircraft. CMG, which is under direct control of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, frames this collaboration as providing Germans with “a new channel to understand China.” In reality, this partnership represents what analysts have identified as China’s “borrowed boat” strategy—a documented approach of utilizing foreign media platforms to advance state messaging internationally through content placement arrangements.

Xinhua and Europa Press Sign Strategic Partnership

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On October 25, 2019, China’s Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and Spain’s Europa Press announced a collaboration agreement that both parties described as “a privileged broadcast channel” for Spain in China. Europa Press, Spain’s largest private news agency, partnered with the Chinese state-run agency in what Xinhua characterizes as part of its broader external propaganda. The agreement aimed to provide dual benefits: offering Spanish institutions and businesses a distribution channel to China and internationally through Xinhua, while increasing Chinese news coverage in Europa Press’s International Service. This partnership reflects Xinhua’s broader strategy of establishing content-sharing agreements with international news agencies worldwide, which critics have noted can facilitate the dissemination of Chinese government messaging to global audiences.

Voice of Vietnam and China Media Group Signed a Cooperation Agreement

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Voice of Vietnam (越南之聲廣播電台) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a cooperation agreement on April 14, 2025, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) state visit to Vietnam. The agreement, marking the 75th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations established on January 18, 1950, aims to “strengthen bilateral media relations through joint reporting on significant developments in Vietnam-China relations,” according to VOV. The cooperation framework includes exchanging and co-producing media content, supporting reporters from both organizations, conducting staff training exchanges, and sharing communication technology. This collaboration aligns with the “Humanitarian Exchange Year 2025” initiatives and follows VOV’s working visit to CMG headquarters in Beijing in March 2025. The timing coincides with Xi’s broader Southeast Asian tour aimed at strengthening regional ties amid escalating US-China trade tensions.

El Mundo Financiero

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El Mundo Financiero, founded in 1946 by José Luis Barceló Fernández de la Mora, is an international economic and financial daily publication based in Madrid. The outlet specializes in economics, finance, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), stock markets, foreign trade, banking, and insurance. The publication also features specialized sections on automotive, wine, and gastronomy. El Mundo Financiero maintains offices in Madrid, Barcelona, and Pamplona.

Xi Pens Article in Cambodian Newspaper During Visit

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President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article in three Cambodian media outlets on April 17, 2025, during his state visit to Cambodia (柬埔寨). The article appeared in the Khmer Times (高棉時報), Jian Hua Daily (柬華日報), and the Fresh News website (新鮮新聞網). This media engagement was part of Xi’s three-nation Southeast Asian tour amid U.S.-China trade tensions, with the article first reported by Xinhua News Agency. Titled “Working Together for Mutual Success” (雙向奔赴、相互成就), the article highlights China-Cambodia relations spanning nearly 2,000 years and their “ironclad friendship” (鐵杆友誼). Xi outlined cooperation frameworks in politics, economics, security, culture, and strategy, while reaffirming China’s support for Cambodia’s sovereignty and development path. The visit concluded a regional tour that emphasized resistance to protectionism as both countries face significant U.S. tariffs.

China and Cambodia Sign Broadcasting Cooperation Plan

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China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) (國家廣播電視總局) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Information signed an action plan (2025-2026) for broadcasting cooperation during President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) state visit to Cambodia on April 17. The plan outlines 13 collaborative projects spanning audiovisual policy communication, personnel exchanges, and content and technology industry cooperation. Projects include co-producing documentaries “The Story of Peace—Traveling with Zheng He” (和的故事—跟著鄭和遊山海) and “Neighborliness·Cambodia” (睦鄰·柬埔寨), and launching a Cambodian language version of the Lancang-Mekong Audiovisual App. The content selection reflects Beijing’s historical narratives and regional connectivity themes that serve its strategic messaging objectives. The agreement was part of 37 cooperation documents signed during Xi’s two-day visit, which concluded his three-nation Southeast Asian tou,r including Vietnam and Malaysia.

China and Vietnam Hold Audiovisual Exchange in Hanoi

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On April 15, 2025, the “Audio-Visual China · Enter Vietnam” (視聽中國·走進越南) exchange event was held in Hanoi, guided by China’s National Radio and Television Administration’s (國家廣播電視總局) International Cooperation Department (國際合作司) and co-hosted by the Guangxi Autonomous Region Radio and Television Bureau (廣西壯族自治區廣播電視局) and Hanoi Radio and Television Station (河內廣播電視台). Over 100 representatives from media organizations, cultural groups, and universities attended the event themed “Moving Forward Together, Creating the Future Together” (攜手共進，共創未來). The event featured the signing of a cooperation memorandum between Nanning Media Center and Hanoi Radio and Television Station for collaboration in program translation, co-production, cultural exchanges, and personnel exchanges. Activities included promotion of the 7th China-ASEAN Audio-Visual Week translation and broadcasting activities, the launch of the “Spring Melody 2026” cross-border Spring Festival Gala’s Vietnam segment, and interactive exchanges for the China-Vietnam co-produced documentary “Friendship Tree Evergreen.” The timing coincides with 2025, marking the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic relations and the designated “China-Vietnam Humanities Exchange Year.”

Hanoi Radio and Television

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Hanoi Radio-Television (Đài Phát thanh – Truyền hình Hà Nội), was established on October 14, 1954, as the official broadcast network of Vietnam’s capital city. According to Vietnamese government sources, regional television stations operate in major Vietnamese cities, including Hanoi, with each of Vietnam’s 61 provinces maintaining its own television channel under state oversight. The station initially operated as a fixed radio station with basic technical facilities. The network operates within Vietnam’s state media system, which is overseen by the Ministry of Information and Communication, and serves to disseminate officially approved information. Currently operating three television channels and multiple radio channels, the network represents one of Vietnam’s regional television stations within the broader state broadcasting infrastructure.

ANO TV-Novosti

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ANO TV-Novosti is the parent company of RT (formerly Russia Today), registered as an “autonomous non-profit organization” on 6 April 2005 in Moscow with registration number 1057746595367. The organization was founded by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and operates from 111020 Moscow, Borovaya Street 3, Building 1. ANO TV-Novosti has been sanctioned by multiple jurisdictions including the European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Australia for its role in spreading propaganda. According to EU sanctions documentation, TV-Novosti is “funded from the federal budget of the Russian Federation” and has “consistently spread pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation, and supported Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” The sanctions restrict its media operations internationally, with the EU Council imposing a ban on RT‘s broadcasting activities in March 2022. Despite these restrictions, research organizations have documented that RT continues to circumvent sanctions through mirror websites and alternative domains.