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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Denmark and China Sign a Film Co-Production Agreement

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On May 3, 2017, Denmark signed a film co-production agreement with China during Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s official visit to Beijing. The agreement was negotiated between China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) (國家新聞出版廣電總局) and the Danish Film Institute (Det Danske Filminstitut) (丹麥電影中心). Danish Film Institute CEO Henrik Bo Nielsen signed the agreement at a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) and Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen in attendance. The co-production agreement grants film projects access to national film support and theatrical markets in both countries. Danish films co-produced with Chinese partners would not be subject to China’s import quota of a maximum of 38 foreign films annually, instead gaining equal access to the Chinese market. Nielsen stated that the agreement “will be important to both parties, both economically and culturally” and that “encounters that take place when we exchange and cooperate on art and culture are both inspiring and necessary for mutual understanding.”

Portuguese Press Association

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The Portuguese Press Association was founded in 1960 as the National Guild of Regional Press (Grémio Nacional de Imprensa Regional), then transformed in 1975 into the Association of Non-Daily Press (Associação de Imprensa Não-Diária) before adopting its current name in September 2004. As Portugal’s largest and most representative press employers’ association, it currently represents over 200 member companies covering approximately 450 titles across national, regional, local, technical-professional, and specialized publications. The organization operates within Portugal’s media landscape.

Shaanxi Satellite TV

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Shaanxi Satellite TV, commonly known as SXTV, is a provincial-level satellite television network based in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. Established in 1997 when the former Shaanxi Television’s fourth channel went satellite, it serves as the flagship channel of Shaanxi Radio and Television Group. The network is recognizable by its distinctive orange logo featuring an “S” shape that resembles lightning, earning it the nickname “Lightning TV” among viewers. In 2012, SXTV underwent a major rebranding with a new focus on cultural programming, adopting the slogan “China Fusion, Fusion World” (中国融，融世界). The channel broadcasts in both standard and high-definition formats since 2014, with the transition to full digital broadcasting completed on March 31, 2021, when analog transmission officially ended. Programming includes a mix of news, entertainment, cultural shows, and locally produced content highlighting Shaanxi’s rich historical heritage. In December 2024, the network partnered with the Propaganda Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP to establish an international communication center, hoping to expand its global reach.

Propaganda Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP

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The Propaganda Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP is the functional department of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee responsible for ideological work throughout the province. The department formulates and implements propaganda tasks, policies, and measures in accordance with central government directives and provincial party committee decisions. Led by a director who holds an ex officio seat on the Provincial Party Standing Committee, the office coordinates and guides all propaganda and cultural units in the province, overseeing media regulation, cultural activities, educational content, and internet information management. It ensures consistent messaging across all communication platforms, maintains narrative control, promotes the CCP’s ideological principles, and translates central directives into local implementation. As a key component in the party’s broader propaganda system, the department wields significant political influence in shaping public opinion and reinforcing party authority throughout Shaanxi.

Internet Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP

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The Internet Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP serves as the provincial-level branch of China’s national cyberspace governance system. It functions as the executive arm of the Shaanxi Provincial Cyberspace Affairs Commission, operating under the “one institution with two names” system that characterizes China’s cyberspace administration bodies. The office is responsible for implementing internet censorship, cybersecurity measures, and information control policies within Shaanxi Province. Similar to its national counterpart, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), it coordinates internet information content management, supervision, and enforcement at the provincial level. The office director holds an ex officio seat on the Shaanxi Provincial Party Standing Committee, reflecting the importance of internet control in the Party’s governance structure. It reports to both the provincial party leadership and the central cyberspace authorities, ensuring that national directives on digital policy are implemented locally while addressing province-specific internet governance issues.

Gazprom-Media Holding

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Gazprom-Media Holding is one of Russia’s largest media conglomerates, controlling nearly 20 television and radio channels plus digital platforms. Key assets include flagship channel NTV, sports network Match TV, entertainment channel TNT, and digital platforms like Rutube and PREMIER. The company also operates extensive radio networks, including Energy and Autoradio. Classified as “Captured Public/State-Managed,” Gazprom Media maintains complex state control through Gazprombank ownership, ultimately tracing to entities close to President Putin. The company’s flagship channel, NTV, particularly faces backlash as an aggressive disinformation channel, systematically targeting EU diplomats and civil society.

Arab League and China Media Group Sign Cooperation Agreement

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On July 30, 2024, the Arab League (阿拉伯國家聯盟) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on documentary archives, content production, media technology, and personnel exchanges, expanding China’s media footprint across Arab nations. The two organizations planned to produce a documentary for the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, scheduled to premiere at the 2026 China-Arab Summit. Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), deputy head of the CPC Central Committee Publicity Department and CMG president, met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to discuss cultural and media cooperation. In language typical of such diplomatic exchanges, Gheit praised China-Arab cooperation and “commended CMG’s achievements in media technologies.” Echoing Beijing’s preferred narrative about China’s global role, Gheit also expressed confidence that “China’s comprehensive reforms would bring new impetus to global development.”

Berliner Zeitung

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Berliner Zeitung is a daily German newspaper first published on May 21, 1945, as the first post-World War II daily in Berlin. Initially established under Soviet control in East Berlin, it became the largest newspaper in the German Democratic Republic during the Cold War era. After German reunification, ownership changed multiple times through Gruner+Jahr and Robert Maxwell (1990), Holtzbrinck (2002), Mecom Group (2005), DuMont (2009), and finally to entrepreneurs Silke and Holger Friedrich in September 2019. The paper faced controversy when Holger Friedrich acknowledged working as an informant for the Stasi under the codename “Peter Bernstein” from December 1987 to February 1989. In 2023, Friedrich further violated journalistic source protection by informing Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner about leaked information from Julian Reichelt. In October 2024, the newspaper entered into a cooperation agreement with China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), launching “The Chinese Perspective” column featuring content from Chinese state media correspondents.

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.