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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

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.

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.

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.

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.

Xi Pens Article in Greek Newspaper Before Visit

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “Let the Wisdom of Ancient Civilizations Illuminate the Future” (讓古老文明的智慧照鑑未來) in Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper on November 10, 2019. The piece appeared ahead of his three-day state visit to Greece at the invitation of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος). Xi drew parallels between ancient Chinese and Greek philosophy, emphasizing their shared “human-centered” (以民為本) values while promoting Belt and Road (一帶一路) cooperation. He claimed Piraeus had been transformed into the “Mediterranean’s largest port” through a bilateral partnership with Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping (中遠海運), though independent analysis shows it ranks as the largest in the eastern Mediterranean and fourth-largest in Europe.

China Propaganda Chief Meets Mexican Presidential Press Office in Beijing

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On September 19, 2012, Liu Yunshan (劉雲山), then Chinese Communist Party Politburo member and head of the Central Propaganda Department (中央宣傳部部長), met with the director of Mexico’s Presidential Press Office at the Great Hall of the People (人民大會堂) in Beijing. According to the official Chinese government report, Liu stated that China-Mexico relations had maintained “good development momentum” (良好發展勢頭) over 40 years of diplomatic relations and expressed desire to “deepen strategic partnership” (深入發展戰略伙伴關係). The Chinese report stated that Liu called for strengthened news media exchanges, particularly in “new media” (新媒體), to allegedly “deepen political mutual trust” (深化政治互信). The Mexican official reportedly agreed that cooperation serves “common interests” (共同利益) and expressed interest in establishing “regular exchange mechanisms” (經常性的交流機制). The meeting included Wang Chen (王晨), director of the State Council Information Office (國務院新聞辦公室), China’s foreign propaganda agency.

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.