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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Chinese Embassy in Turkey

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The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Turkey (中華人民共和國駐土耳其大使館) is China’s chief diplomatic mission to Turkey, located in Ankara. The mission’s origins trace to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between China and Turkey on August 4, 1971, when Turkey recognized the PRC, ending its earlier ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan. Liu Chun served as the first PRC ambassador, presenting credentials in May 1972. The embassy initially operated from a location in Gaziosmanpaşa before relocating to its current premises in the Oran district in March 2018. Bilateral ties were elevated to strategic cooperative relations in 2010, and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2015. The embassy has been a focal point for protests by Turkey’s sizable Uyghur diaspora over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. In April 2021, a diplomatic spat erupted after the embassy’s social media criticized Turkish politicians for their comments on Xinjiang, prompting Turkey to summon the Chinese ambassador. The current ambassador is Liu Shaobin (刘少斌), who assumed his duties in January 2022.

Turkuvaz Media Group

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Turkuvaz Media Group (綠鬆石媒體集團), or Turquoise Media Group, is Turkey’s largest media conglomerate, operating newspapers, television channels, radio stations, digital platforms, and book retail operations. The company is led by CEO Serhat Albayrak, brother of former Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and son of Sadık Albayrak. Originally sold to Çalık Holding in 2008, the company has operated under Kalyon Group since 2014. Turkuvaz Media Group controls major Turkish outlets including the Sabah newspaper (purchased from the state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund in 2007), Daily Sabah (launched in 2014), and television channels ATV, A2, ATV Europe, A Spor, and A Haber. The group acquired D&R, Turkey’s largest book and hobby retailer, from Doğan Holding in 2018. Turkuvaz has maintained close ties to Turkey’s ruling AKP government, with First Lady Emine Erdoğan attending corporate events. The company holds exclusive broadcasting rights for Turkish Cup and Super Cup football matches, which it airs unencrypted across its television network.

Philippine Paper Runs Coverage Promoting PRC External Propaganda

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On August 26, 2025, the Chinese Commercial News (菲律賓商報), a Chinese-language outlet in the Philippines with close ties to PRC media and official entities, published extensive coverage of the 2025 Overseas Chinese Media Cooperation Organization Annual Conference held in Changsha, Hunan Province, where participants gathered to discuss how to “amplify China’s voice in international communication.” The article, originally published by Hong Kong’s Chinese government-run Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group (香港大公文匯傳媒集團), detailed how 84 overseas Chinese media outlets from 37 countries and regions attended under the theme “uniting across five continents and four seas to promote mutual understanding.” The conference was organized by the Hunan Provincial Propaganda Department and co-hosted by the Overseas Chinese Media Cooperation Organization (海外華文傳媒合作組織) and Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group. Li Dahong (李大宏), chairman of both the cooperation organization and Ta Kung Wen Wei, emphasized promoting the concept of “Datong” (大同) — a vision of universal harmony. The article reported that seven new media outlets joined the transnational Chinese-language media organization, which is operated by the PRC, bringing total membership to 130 outlets across five continents and 44 countries and regions.

Chinese Commercial News Signs Content Deal with Wen Wei Po

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On October 8, 2003, the Chinese Commercial News (菲律賓商報), a Chinese-language newspaper in the Philippines with close ties to PRC media and official entities, signed a cooperation agreement with Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po (文匯報), a newspaper operated by the Chinese government in the SAR, to publish a Philippines edition featuring content provided by the Hong Kong outlet. According to Wen Wei Po, the arrangement delivered “fresh content and lively page layouts” that were “widely praised,” with the newspaper’s “influence steadily rising” in the Philippine market. Wen Wei Po added that the deal positioned it to expand its reach across Southeast Asia through local Chinese-language media outlets. By 2008, Wen Wei Po reported that its overseas editions, including the Philippines version, had achieved a combined circulation exceeding 400,000 copies across more than a dozen international markets.

Chinese Commercial News Runs Xinhua Report on Foreign Minister Wang Yi

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On March 8, 2025, the Chinese Commercial News (菲律賓商報), a Chinese-language newspaper based in Manila with close links to state-run media in the PRC, reposted an official report from China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. The article relayed remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) made during a press conference on the sidelines of China’s “Two Sessions,” focusing on maritime disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The report adopted Xinhua’s original wording and framing without alteration, including criticism of the Philippines and references to the role of “external forces” (域外勢力) — a typical framing used by the Chinese Communist Party to blame tensions over its policies and actions on outside actors, including the United States.

South International Communication Center

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Formerly known as the Guangdong Today International Communication Center (今日廣東國際傳播中心), with the chief media brand “GDToday,” this ICC in the southern province of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong, was renamed the South International Communication Center (南方國際傳播中心), or SICC, in July 2025. The center describes itself as having been designated by Guangdong provincial authorities as “the main platform for Guangdong’s external communication.” South operates multilingual news websites, an English-language mobile app, and social media accounts across platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, claiming to reach over 20 million overseas users and partnerships with over 1,000 global media outlets. The center produces content in English, Portuguese, French, and Cantonese, aiming to “tell China’s story well” through showcasing Guangdong and the Greater Bay Area to international audiences.

Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China

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The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is a cabinet-level constituent department of the State Council responsible for China’s fiscal policy, national budget management, and tax legislation. Established in 1949, it functions as the central treasury, managing state revenues, government expenditure, and the issuance of domestic and external debt. Unlike its counterparts in some Western nations, the MOF shares macroeconomic management with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and state-owned industry oversight with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC). A critical role of the MOF is serving as the ultimate shareholder and supervisor of major state-run financial conglomerates.

Harian InHua

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Harian Inhua (印華日報) is a Chinese-language newspaper serving Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese community, launched on October 17, 2014, by Indonesia Inhua Media Group (印度尼西亞印華傳媒集團). The outlet operates a print newspaper as well as the news website Harian Inhua Online, offering news coverage of Indonesia, China, and broader Asian affairs in Chinese and Indonesian languages. Yinhua TV provides video content, distributed through social media channels. Chairman Ye Lianli (葉聯禮) has described the newspaper in terms redolent of PRC state language as “a bridge for Indonesia-China friendship”  (印尼對華友好的橋樑). He has said the outlet is committed to promoting economic cooperation between Indonesia, ASEAN, and China. While the website features original content on Indonesian affairs, coverage of Taiwan and Hong Kong aligns with the Chinese Communist Party and state media positions.

Republika

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Republika is an Indonesian news portal covering politics, economics, culture, and religious affairs. Founded in 1995 to “serve Indonesia’s Muslim community,” the publication ceased its print edition in December 2022 and transitioned fully online. The website offers news in both Indonesian and English, and republishes content from Germany’s Deutsche Welle. Republika has participated in China-Indonesia media cooperation initiatives, with its news editor attending the second China-Indonesia Media Forum organized by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing in September 2024, where he stated that the media plays an important role “not only as a bridge but also as a game changer” in supporting Indonesia-China political-economic relations. Writing for The Interpreter at the Lowy Institute, one Indonesian researcher reported that a journalist for Republika received direct complaints from China’s Embassy in Jakarta after 2019 coverage of Xinjiang at the outlet reported that Uighur detainees in the region had been denied trials.