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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Kazakhstan President’s TV and Radio Complex

The Television and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan operates as a state-controlled media entity established in December 1996 to serve as the official “information resource” documenting presidential activities. The organization claims to produce “targeted video products” including thematic documentaries and presentation videos, while maintaining personal video, audio and film archives of the president. Kazakhstan’s media environment remains dominated by state-owned and pro-government outlets, with most major media controlled directly or indirectly by the government, while pro-opposition publications have been closed or forced into exile, according to Reporters Without Borders.

China-Central Asia Media Forum Convenes in Kazakhstan

On May 29, 2025, in Astana, Kazakhstan, China’s People’s Daily and the Kazakh Presidential Radio and Television Administration jointly hosted the 2025 China-Central Asia Media Cooperation Forum, with over 200 media representatives, officials, experts and business representatives attending from China and Central Asian countries. According to official coverage from Chinese state media, the forum prioritized “building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future” (中亚命运共同体), with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sending a congratulatory letter praising China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) as winning “wide recognition from the international community.” Chinese officials, including Hu Heping (胡和平) from the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP (中共中央宣传部), described the event as promoting “civilizational exchange” (文明交流互鉴) and fostering “people-to-people connectivity” (民心相通) through media cooperation. In its focus on bilateral exchange in line with Chinese foreign policy goals, the forum followed the pattern of such ostensibly media events, serving as a platform for Chinese agendas over professional media and journalism exchange.

People’s Daily Hosts Belt and Road Media Event in Kazakhstan

On June 29, 2024, China’s official People’s Daily (人民日报) newspaper and Kazakh media organizations held a “High-Quality Belt and Road Joint Interview Results Sharing Conference” in Astana, Kazakhstan. The event was attended by Kazakh Parliament Upper House members Galiyaska Sarebayev and Alisher Satvardiyev, with media participants including People’s Daily Deputy Editor-in-Chief Xu Lijing (徐立京) and Zihan Kamzabekulei, the general manager of the Kazakhstan Truth newspaper group. According to official Chinese media coverage, the participants claimed the joint initiative would help media “play a bridge role” and “tell the Silk Road story well” — an echo of Xi Jinping’s policy on the conduct of external propaganda (外宣). Another theme of the event was advancing “high-quality Belt and Road construction” (高质量共建”一带一路”) between China and Kazakhstan.

Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (哈萨克斯坦共和国政府) is the collegial executive body established in its current form on December 18, 1995, and headquartered in Astana at the House of Ministries. The government exercises executive power, develop socio-economic policy, manage state property, and oversee ministries and local executive bodies throughout Kazakhstan. According to constitutional law, the government is formed by the President and consists of the Prime Minister, deputy ministers, and other officials. The government positions itself as responsible to the President in all activities and maintains oversight of state media operations, including government-backed publications such as Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. The structure includes the National Security Committee, established June 13, 1992, and various ministries managing domestic and foreign policy implementation.

Gremi Media SA

Gremi Media SA is a Polish media company that positions itself as the country’s leading publisher in the area of business, finance and law, headquartered in Warsaw and claiming to operate the largest economic newsroom in Poland. Established as a media group, the company publishes daily newspapers including Rzeczpospolita and Gazeta Giełdy i Inwestorów “Parkiet,” along with their corresponding digital platforms rp.pl and parkiet.com. According to company materials, Gremi Media operates online television channels, organizes conferences and training programs, and provides legal services through its Kancelarie RP platform. The organization claims to focus on delivering specialized business and legal content to opinion leaders and decision makers, while positioning itself as a credible source for economic news and analysis across multiple media channels.

Rzeczpospolita

Rzeczpospolita is a Polish daily newspaper focused on economic and legal affairs, originally founded in 1920 by politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski and presently owned by Gremi Media SA, with operations based in Warsaw and current readership of approximately 30,000. The publication’s name derives from Latin terminology for republic and reflects Poland’s official state designation. During the communist era from 1945 to 1989, the paper functioned under state oversight before transitioning to independent status following Poland’s democratic transformation. The newspaper claims that three-quarters of its audience possesses advanced educational credentials and maintains editorial positions generally characterized as conservative-liberal. Rzeczpospolita positions itself within center-right political discourse and holds recognition as one of Poland’s most referenced news sources and primary publication of record.

Polish Television

Polish Television (波蘭國家電視台), known as Telewizja Polska or TVP, is Poland’s public service broadcaster established in 1952 as the country’s oldest and largest television network. The state-owned corporation previously operated under the Ministry of State Treasury of Poland, but since the ministry’s dissolution in 2017 has been overseen by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego). According to its statutory mission defined by Poland’s Broadcasting Act, TVP is obligated to implement “a public mission by offering various programs and other services in the field of information, journalism, culture, entertainment, education and sport, characterized by pluralism, impartiality, balance and independence.” After 2015, TVP was criticized by international observers for becoming a vehicle for the ruling Law and Justice party.

China-Poland Media Forum

The China-Poland Media Symposium (中国—波兰媒体座谈会) was a bilateral media engagement event held on June 14, 2016, in Warsaw, Poland, organized by China’s State Council Information Office. According to a readout from the official Xinhua News Agency, the symposium brought together senior representatives from Chinese media organizations including Xinhua, China Central Television, China Radio International, China Daily, and Xinhua.net, alongside Polish media organizations including the Polish Press Agency, Polish National Television, Rzeczpospolita newspaper, Polish Radio, and the Polish Center for Asian Studies. Chinese participants included Guo Weimin (郭卫民), Deputy Director of China’s State Council Information Office, who engaged with attending media representatives. The event focused on discussions regarding cooperative coverage of President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit to Poland, bilateral media cooperation between China and Poland, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

China-Poland Journalists Partnership Announced in Warsaw

On June 26, 2023, in Warsaw, Poland, Tian Yuhong (田玉红), the head of the All-China Journalists Association (中国记协) and Polish Media Association Chairman Trazik signed a memorandum establishing the “China-Poland Journalists’ Home” (中波记者之家), with Chinese Ambassador Sun Linjiang (孙霖江) and other officials attending. The organizations claim the partnership will “provide better services” for journalists and “enhance news exchange cooperation levels,” with Trazik describing it as a “common homeland” for “mutual exchange” and “transmitting peaceful voices.” The initiative positions itself as a “new platform” for strengthening media ties within China’s broader Central and Eastern European cooperation framework, with Chinese officials saying it will promote “civilizational exchange” (文明交流互鉴) and “people-to-people connectivity” (民心相通) — both standard PRC diplomatic terminology suggesting soft power objectives rather than independent journalism collaboration.