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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Chinese Consul General Meets with Local Media in Laos

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Chinese Consul General in Luang Prabang Li Baoguang (黎宝光) met with Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Savankhone Razmountry (沙万坤·兰蒙迪) on August 15, 2017, according to reports from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The meeting, which included officials from Lao state media outlets, including the Lao News Agency (巴特寮) and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party-run Pasaxon (人民报), focused on what both sides characterized as expanding cooperation between northern Laos and China in media, culture, and tourism. Savankhone praised China’s role in launching “Laos’ first communications satellite” in 2015 and claimed Chinese tourists to Laos were “increasing every year.” Li referenced the planned completion in 2021 of the China-Laos railway, saying it would “significantly increase” bilateral trade and personnel exchanges between the neighboring countries.

Sberbank Cooperates with China on AI Projects

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In February 2025, Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, announced plans to collaborate with Chinese researchers on joint AI projects, as First Deputy CEO Alexander Vedyakhin told Reuters. This partnership emerges as China’s DeepSeek disrupts the tech landscape with its low-cost AI models challenging U.S. competitors. The collaboration follows President Putin’s January directive ordering Sberbank and the Russian government to develop AI cooperation with China amid Western sanctions restricting Moscow’s access to advanced computing hardware. Under CEO German Gref, Sberbank has transformed from a Soviet-era institution into a leading Russian AI player, releasing its GigaChat model in 2023. This initiative reflects the deepening “no limits” strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, with both nations aiming to challenge U.S. dominance in AI as Russia, currently ranked 31st globally in AI implementation, seeks alternative technological solutions.

China-Arab TV and China’s FECC Discuss Cooperation

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On May 29, 2020, officials from the Investment Promotion Department of China’s Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (外经中心投资促进处), or FECC, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, met with representatives from China-Arab TV’s Beijing-based China News Center (中阿卫视中国新闻中心) to discuss enhancing China-Arab agricultural cooperation. The meeting focused on leveraging the Dubai-headquartered but Chinese-operated media platform to promote Chinese agricultural technological achievements, boost China’s international agricultural influence, and facilitate investment and trade between Chinese agricultural enterprises and Arab nations. Both parties reached preliminary consensus on cooperation frameworks and development directions, establishing groundwork for future collaborative initiatives in various agricultural sectors between China and Arab countries. The meeting highlighted the important diplomatic and trade role played by China-Arab TV, which a China Media Project investigation in 2024 showed has direct links to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Foreign Economic Cooperation Center

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China’s Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) is a specialized agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs that claims to serve as a window for foreign agricultural cooperation and manages China’s international agricultural development programs. Facilitating and managing agricultural international exchanges, south-south cooperation, and agricultural aid projects, FECC coordinates with international organizations including the FAO, World Bank, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. Since 2002, FECC has managed the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, deploying over 252 Chinese agricultural experts and technicians to 11 countries, primarily in Africa and Asia. The center promotes the international transfer of China’s agricultural development experience and “Chinese solutions” (中国方案) to developing countries along the Belt and Road, positioning itself as a key instrument of China’s agricultural diplomacy and soft power projection.

China-Arab TV

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China-Arab TV is a Dubai-based Arabic satellite television network founded in 2014 by Chinese entrepreneurs Liu Haitao (刘海涛) and Liu Haijiang (刘海江) possibly with Emirati royal backing. Initially focused on promoting Chinese products in the Middle East, the network was acquired in 2016 by Hong Kong-listed V1 Group (now Crazy Sports) under CEO Zhang Lijun (张力军), who has extensive ties to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through his role as chairman of the China APEC Development Council. Despite consistent financial losses, China-Arab TV maintains strategic partnerships with major Chinese state media organizations including China Media Group, CCTV, and Xinhua News Agency, positioning itself as a key platform for China’s external propaganda efforts in the Arab world. Investigations show that the media group has close ties to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

UAE Media Council

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The UAE Media Council (UAEMC), established in February 2023 by federal decree under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, serves as the Emirates’ primary media regulatory authority. The entity apparently supersedes the previous National Media Council, which changed in 2021. Chaired by Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, who also heads the National Media Office, the council coordinates federal and local media efforts while proposing legislation to regulate and license all media outlets, including those in free zones. Though its language is highly professionalized, including a stated “mission” and “vision,” the council plays a crucial role in the control of media and content. According to its About Us page, the council’s mandate includes “reviewing and approving media content for all that is printed, published and broadcast within the UAE, including those operating in free zones” and “registering and accrediting media professionals and correspondents of foreign media in the country” — raising questions about the extent of its oversight powers.

Government of the United Arab Emirates

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The United Arab Emirates, formed in 1971 as a federation of seven emirates, operates under an authoritarian federal monarchy with limited democratic elements. The UAE’s federal structure includes a Supreme Council comprising the hereditary rulers of each emirate, a Council of Ministers, and a Federal National Council. The President, currently Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also serves as ruler of Abu Dhabi, while Dubai’s ruler serves as Vice-President and Prime Minister. The Federal National Council has only an “advisory role” with half its 40 members elected and half appointed, including a mandated 50 percent female representation since 2023 elections. Despite official claims that “every citizen has the opportunity to express their opinion frankly,” power remains concentrated among the ruling families, with no political parties permitted and civil liberties significantly restricted. Media development and regulation activities are handled by the UAE Media Council, which reviews and approves all content published or broadcast within the UAE and has cooperated at the state level with the People’s Republic of China.

Science and Technology Daily Cooperation Partnership with Nouvelles d’Europe

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Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), described as “the most influential Chinese news organisation in continental Europe” by the publication itself, was established in Paris in 1983, signed a news cooperation memorandum with China’s Science and Technology Daily (科技日報) in November 2023. The agreement, signed on November 24 by Nouvelles d’Europe President Zhong Cheng (鍾誠) and Science and Technology Daily President Zhang Biyong (張碧湧), establishes formal cooperation to “promote the dissemination of scientific and technological innovation achievements.” The partnership involves exchanging news resources in images, text, and video formats, providing coverage of important China-France and China-Europe science and technology news in English. Science and Technology Daily was founded in 1986 by China’s National Science and Technology Commission and other state organizations. Nouvelles d’Europe has expanded from a four-page irregular publication to a comprehensive media group with daily newspapers, websites, cultural centers, and branches across Europe and Beijing.

Chinese-Ukrainian Media Sign Cooperation Agreement

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On June 20, 2019, China’s Science and Technology Daily (科技日報) signed a cooperation agreement with Ukraine’s Uryadovy Kuryer (Government Courier) in Kyiv. Led by Editor-in-Chief Li Ping (李平), the Chinese delegation met with Ukrainian counterparts including Editor-in-Chief Sergii Braga to strengthen media collaboration and information exchange. The agreement facilitates regular content sharing and website cross-linking between these publications. Science and Technology Daily, described as a central major news media and the Party and state’s science and technology news and public opinion position, partnered with Uryadovy Kuryer, Ukraine’s official newspaper of the Cabinet of Ministers. Uryadovy Kuryer, which has been published since October 1990, is among Ukraine’s leading government publications. According to the Chinese source, the Ukrainian newspaper is considered “an important window” for understanding Ukrainian political dynamics and economic developments.