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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

China Daily Runs Supplement in India’s Hindustan Times

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A China Watch supplement appeared in India’s Hindustan Times on October 30, 2020, as part of China Daily’s global propaganda campaign targeting foreign audiences. The insert featured environmental stories including “Yellow River cleanup brings bright future” and coverage promoting Chinese development initiatives. China’s “China Watch” pages, which have appeared in newspapers across the world, blur the lines between Chinese propaganda and legitimate journalism, with the Chinese Communist Party paying substantial sums—including one million dollars annually to the UK’s Daily Telegraph—for such supplements. These payments represent a key component of China’s external propaganda (外宣) strategy to shape international perceptions.

China Internet Body Holds Global Training

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The World Internet Conference Digital Academy (世界互联网大会数字研修院) held a training program on “Digital Economy Innovation and Development” during the 2025 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum on July 24, 2025. According to a state media readout, the program attracted government officials and business representatives from 26 countries and regions, focusing on data governance and cross-border data flows. Liang Hao (梁昊), the executive deputy secretary-general of the WIC and executive vice-dean of the WICDA, said the academy aims to “inject new vitality into digital development” and build an “open, trustworthy, and shared global digital economy ecosystem.” The training was jointly organized by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China’s primary internet control body, and featured instructors from Beijing Normal University’s Belt and Road School (北京师范大学”一带一路”学院) and the Asia Academy of Digital Economics, though specific participating countries were not disclosed. The World Internet Conference (WIC) was founded in 2014 as an annual forum hosted by China in Wuzhen, promoting Beijing’s vision of internet governance and digital cooperation. The event, through which China has often tried to force joint declarations with participants to support its views on cyberspace governance, has had limited participation, despite its global branding.

Kenya’s Star Signs Insert Deal with China Daily

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Kenya’s Star newspaper signed a content-sharing agreement with China Daily Africa on July 16, 2025, at the Star’s Westlands headquarters in Nairobi. Radio Africa Group CEO Martin Khafafa and China Daily Africa Director Wang Xiaodong (王晓东) officiated the deal, which will see “China Watch” inserts published weekly in the Star, leveraging its “100,000-copy circulation.” Khafafa welcomed the partnership as showcasing China’s “contributions to Kenya’s economic growth,” while China Daily’s Kennedy Mureithi said the goal was to “break down Western bias” and expand influence across 15 African countries through local partnerships countering “misperceptions” about China’s continental role. This language closely mirrors Chinese state talking points, including Xi Jinping’s notion of “telling China’s story well.” Mureithi was quoted by China Daily as saying: “We believe that by telling our story in our own voice, more Africans will come to appreciate the values, innovations, and opportunities that China offers.” Xi’s notion of “China’s story,” however, does not suggest individual stories but refers to the “discourse power” (話語權) and voice of the Chinese Party-state, which is perpetuated also through restraints on discourse.

The Star

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The Star is a Kenyan daily tabloid newspaper published in Nairobi by Radio Africa Group since July 2007, originally launched as the Nairobi Star before rebranding in 2009. The publication grew from circulation of 5,000-8,000 copies in 2007 to 15,000-20,000 by 2010, when it first turned profitable in September 2009. Now claiming “100,000-copy circulation,” The Star covers breaking news, politics, entertainment, lifestyle and sports from Kenya and internationally. The newspaper positions itself as Kenya’s “third largest newspaper” and “most independent,” targeting younger readers with the slogan “Smart People Read the Star” while maintaining stronger focus on regional news, sports, and opinion columns than competitors. The newspaper operates from Lion Place headquarters in Westlands, Nairobi, and maintains the website thestar.co.ke.

Propaganda Office of the Changsha Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

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The Propaganda Office of the Chinese Communist Party’s Changsha Municipal Committee (中共長沙市委宣傳部) serves as the chief office responsible for communicating the agendas of the local party leadership and overseeing state-run media in Changsha, including Changsha Media Group and its various broadcasting operations. The office functions as the central enforcer of the party’s media discipline, or “guidance of public opinion” (輿論導向), ensuring all local outlets maintain proper political orientation in line with central and municipal level directives.

The Oriental Post

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The Oriental Post (非洲華僑週報), literally “Africa Overseas Chinese Weekly,” and sometimes called on its website “Chinese in Africa,” was launched in July 2013 as the African weekly edition of the overseas edition of the CCP’s official People’s Daily newspaper. The link between the publications is noted clearly on the masthead of The Oriental Post, where the People’s Daily masthead is also prominent. The publication is operated by the Africa Chinese Media Group (非洲華文傳媒集團), part of the Global Max Media Group (Pty) Ltd (環球廣域傳媒集團), a Chinese comprehensive media conglomerate headquartered in Botswana, southern Africa. Like the People’s Daily and many other official CCP media, The Oriental Post offers a full digital version of the paper on its website. The newspaper lists directly under its masthead the phone numbers of eight Chinese embassies in Africa, including Botswana, Zambia, Angola and Tanzania. The paper clearly mirrors official state media inside China, reporting most prominently on CCP meetings and official business. Its “friendship links” include the United Front Work Department of the CCP, the Chinese Embassy in Botswana and other official state entities.

Xinhua and Jiji Press Sign MoU on Media Cooperation

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China’s Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and Japan’s Jiji Press signed a memorandum of understanding on media cooperation in Tokyo on February 18, 2025. Xinhua President Fu Hua (傅華) and Jiji Press President Katsuhiko Sakai formalized the agreement to strengthen bilateral media ties. Fu Hua (傅華), Xinhua’s president, emphasized the media’s role as “an important bridge for political exchanges, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges among countries.” According to state media, the MoU aims to enhance technical exchanges, expand cooperation in economic information sharing, and coordinate activities within the framework of the World Media Summit (世界媒體峰會) — a China-led body initiated by Xinhua that China has tried to use to shore up its leadership in global media sector. Both media group leaders expressed a commitment to building a long-term partnership. According to state media, Sakai welcomed the agreement as opening “a new chapter” in their cooperative relationship.

Grupo El Comercio

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Grupo El Comercio (GEC) is Peru’s largest media conglomerate in South America, owning the country’s oldest newspaper, El Comercio, founded in 1839 by Manuel Amunátegui and Alejandro Villota. The company operates through two main business units: Press (El Comercio, Gestión, Trome, Correo, Ojo, and Depor) and Television (América TV and Canal N). The Miró Quesada family has controlled the newspaper since 1876, surviving major disruptions including a closure from 1879-1883 during the War of the Pacific and expropriation from 1968-1980 under military rule. The conglomerate controls approximately eighty percent of Peru’s newspaper circulation and operates over 1,000 employees. The group underwent significant restructuring in 2020 when Gabriel Miró Quesada Bojanovich was appointed as chairman, though the corporate website currently lists Luis Alonso Miró Quesada Villarán as board president.

America Multimedia

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América Multimedia, formerly known as Grupo Plural TV, is a Peruvian media conglomerate based in Lima, founded on March 5, 2003. The company operates as a joint venture between Grupo El Comercio (70%) and Grupo La República (30%), with Maki Miró Quesada serving as president. The group’s primary assets include América Televisión (100% ownership), Peru’s leading free-to-air television network, and Canal N (100%), a dedicated news channel. The company also operates América tvGO, a streaming platform offering live and on-demand content.