Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

South African Broadcasting Corporation

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (南非國家廣播電視台), or SABC, is South Africa’s state-owned public broadcaster, established in August 1936 and headquartered in Johannesburg. Designated as a Schedule 2 Major Public Entity under the Public Finance Management Act — a classification for South Africa’s largest and most significant state-owned enterprises that report directly to Parliament — SABC operates five television channels and 18 radio stations, making it one of the largest state broadcasters in Africa. Opposition politicians and civil society groups have sometimes criticized the broadcaster for allegedly functioning as a mouthpiece for the ruling African National Congress, similar to accusations leveled during the apartheid era when it served the National Party government. CEO David Makubyane participated in China Media Group’s December 2025 Silk Road Television Community Summit in Yangjiang. Mbali Lesabe, current affairs TV news editor, participated in the February 2026 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum journalist delegation.

Kwong Wah Yit Poh

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

Kwong Wah Yit Poh (光華日報) is a Malaysian Chinese-language daily newspaper founded on December 20, 1910, by Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) in Penang. The newspaper was established from the Tongmenghui headquarters at 120 Armenian Street, which now houses the Sun Yat-sen Museum Penang. Kwong Wah Yit Poh is recognized as “the world’s oldest Chinese newspaper outside of China” and Malaysia’s oldest surviving Chinese-language newspaper. The publication ceased operations during World War II in 1941 and resumed in 1946. Currently led by Chairman Dato’ Sri Lim Soo Tong (拿督斯里林綉通) and Deputy Chairman Tan Sri Ong Kim Huat (丹斯里王錦發), the newspaper operates from 19 Presgrave Street in George Town, Penang, serving primarily the northern Malaysian Chinese community with a daily circulation exceeding 100,000 copies.

Parlamentní Listy

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

Parlamentní Listy (议会报) is a Czech online news and commentary portal established in 2008, operated since 2023 by NAŠE MÉDIA a.s. and headquartered in Prague. The publication positions itself as a discussion, news and commentary platform but has been described by critics as a disinformation medium with no institutional connection to the Czech Parliament despite its name. According to organizational listings, leadership has included Jan Holoubek as director and Marek Bláha as editor-in-chief. The platform claims to provide elected representatives with individual profiles to publish views without editorial intervention and describes its journalistic section as supplementary. Critics have accused the publication of spreading pro-Russian propaganda and manipulative content, while supporters describe it as providing alternative perspectives in contrast to mainstream media coverage.

Wuxi Daily

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

Wuxi Daily (无锡日报) is the mouthpiece publication of the CCP Committee of the city of Wuxi, in China’s Jiangsu province. Founded on August 1, 1949, as Workers’ Life (工人生活), it became the official party organ in 1954 and adopted its current name in 1957. The newspaper suspended publication during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1979) before resuming operations. Now published by Wuxi Daily Media Group, the full-color broadsheet maintains the largest circulation among local news publications in the Wuxi region at 50,000 copies, with readership reaching 550,000-600,000 people. It covers Wuxi city and surrounding areas including Jiangyin and Yixing cities. The publication claimed in the late 2010s to have pioneered online newspaper services in Jiangsu province and has evolved into a multimedia platform encompassing print, digital, mobile, and audio-visual content.

The Busy Weekly

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

Founded in 2009, “The Busy Weekly” was the only Chinese financial weekly in Malaysia. It is now closed.

Spring News Television Network

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

Spring News was a Thai digital television news channel founded in 2010 and owned by Spring News Television Ltd., a subsidiary of News Network Corporation PCL. The channel began test broadcasts on satellite television on March 5, 2010, with its official launch on December 15, 2010. Spring News won a digital television license for news and information content from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in 2013 and began digital terrestrial broadcasting on April 1, 2014, on channel 19. In November 2016, the channel signed a five-year partnership agreement with CNN International through Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific, becoming CNN’s first news affiliate partner in Asia. This partnership included content sharing, staff training, and the adoption of CNN-themed graphics beginning January 1, 2017. Spring News ceased television broadcasting on August 15, 2019, but continues operating as an online news platform under the Nation Group umbrella, maintaining its website and digital news services.

RTHK Signs MoU with Malaysia

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

On March 5, 2026, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications in Kuala Lumpur, aimed at strengthening media cooperation and promoting cultural exchange. The ceremony was held at the headquarters of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and was jointly signed by RTHK Director of Broadcasting Angelina Kwan Yuen-yee (關婉儀) and newly appointed RTM Director-General Ashwad Ismail. According to Hong Kong media, the memorandum includes plans for joint productions showcasing cultural tourism in both Hong Kong and Malaysia. Kwan and Ashwad also discussed future collaboration under what RTHK described as the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, with Kwan saying that these agreements would help strengthen RTHK’s “international communication capabilities” (國際傳播能力) – a term closely associated with Beijing’s external propaganda strategy under Xi Jinping.

Xinhua President Meets With Andina General Director

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

On October 12, 2024, Fu Hua (傅華), president of China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, met in Beijing with Félix Alberto Paz Quiroz, general director of Peru’s state-owned Andina news agency, on the sidelines of the sixth World Media Summit — a global media forum hosted by Xinhua since 2009 and held in 2024 in Beijing and Urumqi with a focus on AI and media transformation. Typical of China’s global media engagements, the focus was on bilateral relations and China’s positioning of itself as a champion of the Global South. Xinhua reported that the two sides reviewed past cooperation and expressed willingness to collaborate on “serving the development of China-Peru relations,” promoting exchanges between Chinese and Latin American media, “deepening cooperation among media think tanks of the Global South,” and AI-driven media transformation.

China Media Group Signs Cooperation Agreement with Peru

Written by Editors on March 25, 2026.

On November 14, 2024, during Xi Jinping’s state visit to Peru alongside the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting — an annual summit of 21 Asia-Pacific economies — in Lima, China Media Group president Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) signed a memorandum of understanding with Fabricio Valencia Gibaja, Peru’s minister of culture, at the Presidential Palace, according to Peruvian state broadcaster TVPerú. TVPerú described the two-year MOU as covering joint projects in “contemporary art, cultural heritage, media, and the production of television and film content.” The Peruvian government described the MOU as promoting “cultural exchange and mutual learning.” Shen specifically referenced “”two civilizations that share a long history and deeply rooted cultural traditions,” an appropriation of CCP language “civilizational” discourse — sometimes called “Xivilization” by state media — that has been at the center of both foreign policy and legitimacy formation at home since the 20th National Congress of the CCP in October 2022.