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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Secretariat of Media and Public Communication

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Argentina’s Federal System of Public Media and Content (Sistema Federal de Medios y Contenidos Públicos) was created on December 10, 2015, through Decree 12/2015 under President Mauricio Macri. Initially headed by Hernán Lombardi, the system oversees Argentina’s public media ecosystem, including Télam news agency, public television and radio networks, digital channels, and cultural centers. In 2018, it was downgraded from ministerial status to secretariat level. Following President Javier Milei’s inauguration in December 2023, the secretariat was transferred to the Communication and Press Secretariat of the Presidency through Decree 45/2023. The entity manages platforms including TV Pública, Radio Nacional, and the Centro Cultural Kirchner.

Xinhua President Meets Mexican News Agency Head

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Cai Mingzhao (蔡名照), President of Xinhua News Agency, met with Alejandro Ramos Esquivel, Director General of Mexico’s state news agency Notimex, in Beijing on September 22, 2015. During the meeting, Cai stated that despite geographical distance, China and Mexico share “long-standing friendship” (源远流长). Emphasizing media as a tool of bilateral exchange, Cai described news media as bearing “an important mission in promoting friendly exchanges between the two countries” (增进两国之间友好交往的重要使命). Cai stated that Xinhua prioritizes reporting on Mexico and Latin America, and expressed desire to strengthen cooperation with Notimex across various fields, building on what he described as “over 30 years of close collaboration” (30多年密切合作). Ramos said Xinhua’s work in new media left a “deep impression” (留下深刻印象) and stated his agency “wishes to further strengthen cooperation” (愿进一步加强合作) in promoting national images and addressing technological challenges.

Notimex

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Notimex, formerly known as Agencia Mexicana de Noticias, was Mexico’s official state news agency until its dissolution in December 2023. Founded on August 20, 1968, to cover the Mexico City Olympics, the agency operated for over five decades under government ownership. The agency underwent reform in June 2006, changing its name and establishing what it described as “genuine editorial independence” through governance by a board with representatives from various state entities. Notimex ceased operations in June 2020 following a strike that began in February of that year. Sanjuana Martínez, appointed in March 2019, was the first woman to serve as Director-General before the Mexican Senate approved the agency’s “definitive closure” in December 2023.

Phoenix Media Investment Holdings Limited

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Phoenix Media Investment Holdings Limited is a multinational media corporation headquartered in Hong Kong, with major operations in Beijing and Shenzhen. The company operates six satellite television channels targeting global Chinese audiences. The company was founded on March 31, 1996, by Liu Changle (劉長樂), initially through a joint venture between his Today’s Asia Limited company, Hong Kong Satellite Television, and Huaying International. Liu, who previously served as a journalist and senior manager at China Central Radio before moving overseas in 1988, established Phoenix TV with the mission of “reducing the distance within the global Chinese community”. The company went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in June 2000. Following the 2021 sale of Liu’s controlling stake, the company’s largest shareholder is now Bauhinia Culture Holdings (紫荊文化集團) with 21 percent, a Beijing-backed cultural enterprise directly owned by China’s central government, while Shun Tak Holdings (信德集團) owns 16.93 percent.

Independent Media

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Independent Media is a South African multi-platform media company that publishes several influential newspapers, including the daily newspapers Cape Times, Cape Argus, The Star, Pretoria News, and Isolezwe, and operates the news website Independent Online. The company has substantial Chinese state investment through Interacom Investment Holding Limited, which represents China International Television Corporation (中國國際電視總公司), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Central Television that distributes television content, and the China-Africa Development Fund (中非發展基金), an state-run PRC investment fund established in 2007. Founded initially as the Argus Publishing Group with the launch of the Cape Argus in 1857, the company was purchased by the Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium in August 2013 for 175 US million dollars. The ownership structure includes Sagarmatha Technologies Limited, a subsidiary of the Sekunjalo Group, which holds 55 percent; the Public Investment Corporation, which owns 25 percent; and the Chinese entities, which together have the remaining 20 percent through Interacom.

China and South Africa Hold New Media Roundtable

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On November 23, 2018, government officials and media representatives from China and South Africa met in Pretoria for a South Africa-China New Media Roundtable (中國-南非新媒體圓桌會議). Co-hosted by China’s Cyberspace Administration (國家互聯網信息辦公室), an agency under the CCP’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission that serves as both a state and party institution, and South Africa’s Information Department, the event gathered delegates from both countries’ government, business, media, and academic sectors. Notable attendees included Gao Xiang (高翔), Deputy Director of China’s Cyberspace Administration who later became president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Cedric Frolick, House Chairperson for Committees, Oversight and ICT in South Africa’s National Assembly. Gao Xiang outlined China’s internet governance approach and offered three proposals for media cooperation, while South African Information Department Director-General Mashilo Boloka expressed interest in Chinese network security expertise and stated that “South Africa needs to learn from China’s knowledge and experience in network governance, network regulations, and network technology.” The meeting concluded with a memorandum signing between People’s Daily Online (人民網股份有限公司) and the South Africa-China Cultural and Tourism Investment Trade Promotion Center (南中文化和旅遊投資貿易促進中心).

CMG Signs Cooperation MOU with Thailand TV5

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On October 18, 2023, China Media Group (CMG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Thailand’s Public Relations Department (民众联络厅) during Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s attendance at the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum in Beijing. CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who serves as vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, and Thai Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Pongphet Chunlayadej (庞珮·春拉晔) formalized the partnership to enhance media collaboration between the two organizations. Thailand’s Public Relations Department, which operates under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office and oversees multiple official media outlets, including the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, represents a key governmental communications authority. The agreement establishes mechanisms for regular cooperation, news reporting collaboration, personnel exchanges and training, and media technology sharing to “endow ‘Thailand-China Family’ with new era significance,” according to the announcement, marking an expansion of China’s media cooperation with ASEAN partners under the Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路).

CMG Opens Bureau in Nauru

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On January 24, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) inaugurated its 192nd overseas bureau in Nauru, coinciding with the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The ceremony at the Nauru Presidential Office was attended by Nauru’s Media Minister Shadlog Bernicke (沙德羅德·貝尼克), who reportedly “welcomed” the Chinese media presence. CMG and Nauru’s Media Department (瑙魯媒體部) signed a “cooperation memorandum” that Chinese officials claimed would “promote mutual trust” and “create a new situation for media cooperation.” According to Chinese state media, this marks the “first media cooperation agreement” since China and Nauru resumed diplomatic relations on January 24, following Nauru’s decision to cut ties with Taiwan just days after Taiwan’s presidential election.

China-ASEAN AI Development and Governance Cooperation Seminar Held in Phnom Penh

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The China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Development and Governance Cooperation Seminar (中國-東盟人工智能發展與治理合作研討會) was held on December 9, 2024, in Phnom Penh, jointly organized by Cambodia’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council and the China Institute of International Studies (中國國際問題研究院). Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Vissoth (旺西偉索) praised China’s AI achievements and called for strengthened policy coordination, research collaboration, and talent development to promote more inclusive and fair global AI governance. He highlighted that Cambodia is implementing the first phase of its “Pentagonal Strategy,” with digital economy and social development as key focus areas. The Cambodian government is advancing technological innovation, including AI, through its Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework (2021-2035), which aims to achieve five major goals: digital infrastructure development, enhanced digital trust, digital citizenship cultivation, e-government implementation, and digital business promotion.