Skip to main content

Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Politika

Politika is Serbia’s oldest and most influential daily newspaper, first published on January 25, 1904, in Belgrade by founder and editor Vladislav Ribnikar. The inaugural issue was printed in 2,450 copies across four pages, priced at five para. Throughout its history, Politika has twice ceased publication during wartime: from 1914-1919 during World War I and from April 1941 to October 1944 during World War II. The newspaper also suspended operations in summer 1992 due to a journalists’ strike protesting government attempts to convert it into a state enterprise. Today, Politika maintains its position as one of Serbia’s most respected newspapers, adhering to high professional journalistic standards while fostering dialogue and freedom of expression. The publication has collaborated with notable literary figures, including Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić and Winston Churchill.

School of Marxism of the Guangxi Administration College

The School of Marxism of the Guangxi Administration College (廣西行政學院馬克思主義學院) is a teaching and research department of the provincial-level training institute, which operates under a “one institution, two names” arrangement with the Party School of the Guangxi Regional CCP Committee (中共廣西區委黨校), meaning both institutions share the same staff and facilities but serve different administrative functions. The Party School was founded on May 25, 1950, and is directly led by the CCP Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, serving as the main channel for training Party cadres at various levels and functioning as an important think tank for government decision-making. The School of Marxism is one of eight teaching and research departments at the institution, alongside departments on philosophy, economics and CCP history.

Ghana-China Friendship Association

The Ghana–China Friendship Association (加納—中國友好協會), or GHACHIFA, was incorporated on October 8, 1999, to facilitate non-state cooperation between Accra and Beijing — though its digital presence suggests an ad hoc operation. The association’s official website is registered to the police commissioner in the city of Tema, in the region of Greater Accra, and retains default “Consulting WP” WordPress theme filler on its “About” section. GHACHIFA’s founding directors include former Ambassador to China H.E. Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, Chinese business executive Jun Tak Hu, and Messrs. John Emmanuel Kwamina Moses, William Yiji Chobblah, and Nana Akua Busia — the latter four of whom seem to appear online only in the context of the association itself. The association serves as a platform for cultural and media engagements that align with Chinese diplomatic objectives. GHACHIFA promotes “friendship” (友好), a term that in CCP official discourse generally entails the accommodating of China’s interests in relationships. By hosting events for embassy officials and local stakeholders, the organization helps integrate Beijing’s strategic narratives, such as Belt and Road initiatives, into Ghanaian civil society and media circles. The Tema police commissioner associated with the GHACHIFA website registration, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, met with China’s ambassador to China in July 2025 to discuss joint police operations to safeguard “the safety and interests of Chinese citizens and enterprises.” Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China has invested in the expansion of the Tema Port, and Chinese tech companies such as Huawei, Tecno Mobile and StarTimes (a Chinese-run broadcast media company) have set up in the area.

Ambassador Attends Ghana–China Friendship Association Meeting with Local Media

Chinese Ambassador Tong Defa (童德發) attended a year-end media reception hosted by the Ghana–China Friendship Association (加納—中國友好協會) on December 10, 2025, according to an embassy notice. The event hosted approximately 40 participants, including Association Chairman Ambassador Anani-Isaac (戴安大使), friendship figures (友好人士) referring to non-governmental individuals who support Beijing’s interests, and local media representatives. Tong utilized the platform to signal messaging from the CCP’s Fourth Plenum (四中全會) and China’s zero-tariff measures toward Ghana, while noting outcomes from President Mahama’s (馬哈馬總統) recent visit to China. Speakers praised the “traditional friendship” (傳統友誼) between the nations—”friendship” in CCP official discourse generally entails the accommodating of China’s interests in relationships. Both sides emphasized sustaining bilateral cooperation and strategic media engagement moving forward.

Ouhua Media Group

Ouhua Media Group (歐華傳媒集團), known formally in Spanish as Ouhua New Media Communication Group S.L. — S.L. being the Spanish designation for a limited liability company — is a Madrid-based Chinese-language multimedia company founded on December 8, 2002. Its flagship publication is Ouhua Bao (歐華報), a Chinese-language newspaper with bureaus in Barcelona and Valencia and a representative office in mainland China. The group also operatesEl Mandarin (東方週刊), a Spanish-language media project launched in 2005 and converted to a website in 2012, as well as the news portal ouhua.info. The Ouhua website carries a Shanghai-based Chinese internet content provider registration number (滬ICP備09078614號), suggesting it is registered as a Chinese domestic entity. The group identifies itself as an overseas cooperation partner of China News Service (中國新聞社) and Xinhua News Agency (新華通訊社), both Chinese state media outlets, and maintains partnerships with CCTV-4 and Phoenix Satellite Television’s European channel, as well as with several Chinese provincial government web portals including Enorth.com.cn (北方網), southcn.com (南方網), Red Net (紅網), Tibet News Network (西藏新聞網), and Tianshan Net (天山網). Tianshan Net is operated by the Xinjiang New Media Center (新疆新媒體中心), a state entity under the Xinjiang Daily and Xinjiang Newspaper Media Group (新疆報業傳媒集團). According to the group’s own account, Spanish firm Grupo Lucrea (啟創集團) took a controlling stake in the group in late 2025. Tao Xinyi (陶辛夷), who built the group over approximately 28 years, holds the title of permanent honorary president (永久名譽社長).

Chinese Embassy in Cyprus

The Chinese Embassy in Cyprus is the diplomatic mission of the People’s Republic of China in Nicosia, Cyprus, established following diplomatic relations on December 14, 1971. In 2021, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership. The year before, in 2020, the Chinese embassy became the focus of diplomatic rivalry as China accused the United States of intimidating Cyprus and other allies by pressing them to join the “Clean Network” initiative, which targeted Chinese 5G technology firms over data privacy and security concerns. In August 2022, the embassy raised eyebrows by issuing a statement comparing China’s claim over Taiwan to Cyprus’ claim over its northern region, declaring that “neither China nor Cyprus is entirely reunified” and that national unity is a shared concern between the two countries. This resurfacing of the so-called “One China, One Cyprus” principle sparked dissatisfaction among Turkish Cypriots, as it rejected the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Investigation by Lingua Sinica suggests that the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus operates the Chinese and Cypriots Friendship Promotion Association (CCFPA) and several other entities in the country as front organizations. The CCFPA’s affiliated social media accounts almost exclusively retweet content from China’s Ambassador to Cyprus — suggesting the purportedly nongovernmental organization fostering China-Cyprus business collaboration is actually an embassy-controlled entity.

Fana Media Corporation SC

Fana Media Corporation S.C. (FMC) is a state-owned Ethiopian media organization formed through the merger of Fana Broadcasting Corporate and Walta Media and Communication Corporate. Launched in 1994, FBC has generally supported Ethiopia’s federal government and ruling Prosperity Party since 2020, and has signed content exchange agreements with Russian state news agency Sputnik. The company operates extensive broadcasting infrastructure including Fana Television, Fana Plus TV, National Radio, and twelve FM stations across Ethiopia, claiming to reach millions of viewers domestically and internationally. FMC broadcasts in nine languages including Amharic, Afan Oromo, Afar, Somali, Tigrigna, Wolaita, Sidamo, Arabic, and English, and describes itself as committed to Ethiopia’s “economic, social, and political development.” Beyond traditional broadcasting, the corporation provides media training and consultancy services while maintaining a digital presence. Operating under the slogan “We Reveal Ethiopia,” FMC has participated in China’s international communication initiatives targeting African audiences through programs like the China-Africa International Communication Alliance.

Ministry of Culture of Serbia

The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia (Ministarstvo kulture) serves as a state administration body established under Article 15 of the Law on Ministries (Official Gazette RS, No. 72/12 and 76/13). The ministry oversees cultural development, artistic creation, heritage protection of movable and immovable cultural assets, library and publishing activities, cinematographic and music-stage activities, endowments and foundations, and cooperation in cultural heritage protection for Serbian people in the region. Located at Vlajkovićeva 3 in Belgrade, the ministry occupies the first and second floors of the former Agrarian Bank building, constructed between 1932 and 1934 by architects Petar and Branko Krstić as one of Belgrade’s last interwar banking palaces. The ministry also manages access to EU pre-accession funds, donations, and development aid projects, while participating in regional cultural initiatives as determined by law.

AdnKronos and Xinhua Sign MoU on News Cooperation

In December 2017, Italian news agency AdnKronos and Xinhua News Agency (新華社) signed a cooperation agreement during the fourth World Internet Conference (世界互聯網大會) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. According to a report by PrimaOnline, the agreement covered news exchange, video production, and digital interconnection between the agencies.