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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Capital FM

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98.4 Capital FM is a Kenyan urban music radio station established in 1996, shortly after the liberalization of Kenyan airwaves, becoming the second FM station after 101.9 Metro FM. Based in Two Rivers mall in Nairobi, the station operates on 98.4 MHz frequency with repeaters across Kenya including Western Kenya (93.0), Nakuru (98.5), Mombasa (98.4), Nyeri (98.5), and Meru (103.9). The station targets middle-class and upper-class audiences with programming that includes hip hop, R&B, rock, neo soul, jazz, and dance music. Capital FM gained international attention when President Barack Obama gave an exclusive one-on-one interview during his July 2015 visit to Kenya, one of only two such radio interviews during that trip. The station serves audiences through traditional broadcasting and online streaming.

Capital FM and China Daily Sign Partnership Agreement

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On August 11, 2025, Capital FM, a leading Kenyan media house with strong radio broadcasting and digital journalism presence, signed a content-sharing agreement with China Daily in Nairobi, Kenya. The partnership allows the Kenyan radio broadcaster to republish China Daily articles on its website and co-produce short videos for digital platforms. The agreement includes promoting content across the social media channels of both organizations. Capital FM Managing Director Symon Bargurei described the collaboration as “a milestone” in delivering “diverse, high-quality, and globally relevant content,” while China Daily Africa circulation manager Kennedy Mureithi said the partnership would “enhance the sharing of stories that matter to both nations.” The agreement was signed by Bargurei and China Daily Africa Bureau Director Wang Xiaodong (王晓东).

Taiwan Social Media Influencers Join Yunnan Tour

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On August 6-10, 2025, in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, the Taiwan Affairs Office of Yunnan People’s Government (雲南省人民政府台灣事務辦公室) and the Honghe Prefectural Taiwan Affairs Office (紅河州台辦) hosted an official media visit that brought together 17 Taiwanese new media practitioners and 8 mainland journalists in what organizers described as promoting “cross-strait family bonds” (兩岸一家親). The event, “Hearts Connected Across the Strait, Yunnan-Taiwan Together” (第三屆”情牽兩岸·滇台同行”), included visits and cultural activities in several local counties. Official reports cited participants like “new media person” Wu Minwen (吳旻文), who appears nowhere in Taiwan’s media or social media landscape, claiming that the initiative helps “more people on the island understand Honghe.” Another participant cited, Li Xiangming (李湘銘), was quoted as saying that traditional foods they tasted were “cultural symbols carrying deep history.”

Taiwan Affairs Office of Yunnan People’s Government

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The Taiwan Affairs Office of Yunnan People’s Government (雲南省人民政府台灣事務辦公室) is a provincial government agency responsible for coordinating cross-strait exchanges and implementing propaganda activities in line with Chinese Communist Party objectives regarding Taiwan. Operating under the “one institution with two names” arrangement, it simultaneously functions as the CCP Yunnan Committee Taiwan Work Office (中共雲南省委台灣工作辦公室), with the party designation used for party-to-party interactions with Taiwan. The office serves as Yunnan Province’s centralized management department for Taiwan-related affairs, reporting to both the provincial party committee and government while implementing guidelines set by the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which is also the CCP Central Committee’s Taiwan Work Office. This organization has no relationship with Taiwan’s government and operates within the People’s Republic of China’s framework claiming Taiwan as a province, coordinating activities that advance Beijing’s “reunification” policies through cultural, economic, and media exchanges.

China Daily Runs Inserts in the Washington Post

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Beginning in November 2016, the Washington Post regularly ran the “China Watch” printed insert of China’s government-run China Daily in the pages of its newspaper, accepting advertising payments from China Daily USA in return. The paid supplements were designed to look like news articles, but were vehicles for pro-China propaganda. According to filings by China Daily with the US Justice Department, the Washington Post accepted 4.6 million dollars for the inserts between 2016 and April 2020.

China Daily Runs Insert in Des Moines Register

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A four-page China Daily supplement in the Sunday Des Moines Register in September 2018 sought to undermine Iowa farm support for President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, according to political experts. The Chinese government-backed English-language newspaper’s insert highlighted mutual U.S.-China trade benefits and President Xi Jinping’s three-decade Iowa relationship, aiming to pressure the Trump administration by showing potential Republican electoral costs. Political scientist David Skidmore said the effort targeted midterm elections, though he questioned its effectiveness compared to farmers’ economic concerns. Iowa farmers faced projected $2.2 billion losses from trade wars, with ripple effects across the state’s economy and tax revenues.

Cross-Strait Media Tour of Liaoning

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On August 14, 2025, in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (中華全國台灣同胞聯誼會), a “people’s organization” directly under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, launched its 2025 “Cross-Strait Media Personnel Liaoning Tour” with the Liaoning Provincial Federation of Taiwan Compatriots (遼寧省台灣同胞聯誼會) as host, bringing together over 20 media representatives from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong for a seven-day itinerary. According to Yang Yizhou (楊毅周), vice chairman of the federation, participants visited historical sites including the September 18 Historical Museum (九一八歷史博物館), commemorating Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria, and the Memorial to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (抗美援朝紀念館), dedicated to China’s intervention in the Korean War in October 1950. According to state media sources, Taiwanese businesspeople in Liaoning were also interviewed during the tour, which leaders said conveyed “positive energy” in cross-strait exchanges — a reference to a phrase Xi Jinping has used to signal non-critical media coverage in line with CCP agendas. A full list of participants was not given in media reports on the tour, but coverage from Phoenix Satellite TV indicated that social media influencers from Taiwan were present on the tour. One supposed influencer mentioned prominently in related reports was Lee Tung-en (李東恩), who does not appear in Taiwanese news reports or other sources outside the PRC. Another participant, identified as “veteran Taiwanese broadcast journalist Fan Qiwei (樊奇為), likewise appears only in PRC news reports related to cross-straits ties — and in 2022 was mentioned in propaganda reports along with his wife as “Tianjin’s most beautiful family.”

All China Journalists Association Signs Agreement with the Association of Overseas Chinese Media in Europe

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The All-China Journalists Association (中華全國新聞工作者協會) signed a cooperation memorandum with the Association of Overseas Chinese Media in Europe (歐洲華文傳媒協會) on December 2, 2024, during a delegation visit to Austria. The agreement establishes frameworks for joint exchange visits, news interviews, external communication, news seminars, and cultural activities between the organizations. The memorandum also creates an overseas Chinese media “journalists’ home” to support Chinese media professionals in Europe. The All-China Journalists Association, a state-affiliated organization that operates under Chinese Communist Party leadership, has been criticized by press freedom advocates for its role in China’s media control system.  

Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises of Indonesia

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The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises of Indonesia ( Kementerian Badan Usaha Milik Negara) is the Indonesian government body responsible for overseeing the nation’s state-owned enterprises. Established in 1998 with Tanri Abeng as the first minister, it manages 114 state-owned enterprises and 28 subsidiaries across 12 sectors as of December 2019. The ministry’s mandate includes formulating strategic business initiatives, strengthening competitiveness, enhancing performance, and creating sustainable growth for state enterprises. Its primary role is to assist the president in managing government affairs related to state-owned companies, with oversight extending to entities controlled by these enterprises both directly and indirectly, supporting Indonesia’s broader economic development goals.