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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Penghu Times

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The Penghu Times (澎湖時報) is a daily newspaper based in Magong City (馬公市), the administrative seat of Penghu County (澎湖縣), an archipelago of some 90 islands located approximately 50 kilometers west of Taiwan’s main island and regarded as strategically significant to the defense of the Taiwan Strait. According to the outlet’s own history, it was founded on January 1, 1997, by a group of local Penghu residents to fill the gap left by the closure of the Jianguo Daily (建國日報), a newspaper that had operated since 1949 under the Penghu Defense Command (澎湖防衛司令部) of the Ministry of National Defense and ceased publication following the lifting of martial law. The paper launched initially as a weekly trial edition of four pages before converting to a daily eight-page format after three months. It describes itself as the oldest and highest-circulation newspaper serving Penghu County, with distribution covering government bodies, businesses, and general readers across the archipelago, supplemented by an online edition. Editorial coverage focuses on local Penghu news, county government policy, social affairs, tourism, and lifestyle.

Liaoning Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office

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The Liaoning Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office (遼寧省人民政府台灣事務辦公室) is a provincial government agency responsible for coordinating cross-strait exchanges and implementing propaganda activities in line with Chinese Communist Party objectives regarding Taiwan.  Established as part of the broader Taiwan Affairs Office network that was created in 1988 under the leadership of the CCP’s Central Committee and State Council, the local office manages all Taiwan-related policies, including personnel exchanges, seminars, and international visits.

China Weekly (Egypt)

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Established in 2012 as the sole Chinese-founded publication in the Middle East with official registration under Egypt’s General News Authority, China Weekly Egypt publishes in both Chinese and Arabic. The newspaper focuses on Chinese politics, economics, culture, and sports while featuring a special section on “Chinese in Egypt.” Led by director Ma Qiang (马强) since its founding, the publication produced a “Friendship Special Edition” during Xi Jinping’s 2016 Egypt visit. The newspaper appears connected to China News Service (CNS)—an official state news wire under the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party—based on content analysis and frequent cross-posting to CNS websites. Despite initially achieving financial break-even and expanding to Sudan and Jordan, Ma Qiang told the CCP’s official People’s Daily in 2013, political turmoil in Egypt dramatically reduced the Chinese population from 50,000 to 8,000, challenging the paper’s survival. Ma led the Egypt media delegation to China in October 2024, where he received the PRC flag during a formal welcome ceremony attended by top propaganda officials and CNS leader Tang Weijie (唐伟杰).

Polish Press Agency

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The Polish Press Agency or PAP was founded in 1918 as the Polish Telegraphic Agency (Polska Agencja Telegraficzna, PAT), making it one of the world’s oldest wire services. Poland’s national news agency produces political, economic, social, and cultural content with headquarters in Warsaw and 24 regional bureaus, employing nearly 500 staff as of 2013. The agency claims its content reaches 96.5 percent of Polish Internet users via online media and reported a turnover of 56.6 million PLN in 2022. Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz placed PAP into liquidation on December 27, 2023, after President Andrzej Duda vetoed a funding bill, though this action was “not intended to impact PAP’s day-to-day running.” The liquidation was entered into the National Court Register on January 29, 2024.

World Chinese Media Co-Operation Union

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Established in 2009, the Global Chinese Media Cooperative Union is a global organization operated by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department through China News Service (中國新聞社), one of two official wire services in China. While the union claims to be a “non-profit organization voluntarily comprised of overseas Chinese-language media outlets,” it functions as a vehicle to promote Chinese Party-state narratives. The organization publicly states its mission to support official Chinese Communist Party agendas such as the Belt and Road initiative and to “rationally guide the public opinion of ethnic Chinese.” China News Service, which oversees the union, was established on October 1, 1952, and was absorbed into the United Front Work Department in 2018 when its previous oversight body, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, was merged into the UFWD.

Geoecohub

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Economic Center Network, operating digitally as Geoecohub, is a Georgian news website with editor-in-chief Liana Jorjoliani. Jorjoliani has maintained a sustained focus on Chinese affairs since at least 2015, participating in China’s 2019 Visiting Program for Young Sinologists and covering the 20th National Congress of the CCP in October 2022 as a foreign correspondent in Beijing. In her 2022 coverage, Jorjoliani praised China’s anti-corruption efforts and environmental policies, stating “China shows zero tolerance in opposing corruption, which reflects the Chinese government’s strong sense of responsibility” — a highly uncritical and, many experts would argue, uninformed perception of related policies — and describing the Congress organization as “excellent” evidence of “China’s open attitude.” Her reporting, including the widespread use of state media content from Xinhua News Agency and China News Service, occurs within the context of Georgia’s 2023 Strategic Partnership with China, which elevated bilateral relations and committed Georgia to “strengthen coordination and collaboration” with Beijing on regional and international affairs. Research by Civic Idea has documented pro-China propaganda networks in Georgian media following the partnership’s signing. Geoecohub has prominently promoted clear propaganda from China, including 2025 reports from a Xinhua News Agency think tank that purport to “reveal the truth about external forces interfering in the South China Sea issue.” Jorjoliani participated in the February 2026 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum journalist delegation touring Chinese industrial sites.The registration information for the Geoecohub website provides a Russia-based e-mail contact, medea23@rambler.ru, that links to the Facebook account of “Lika Zhorzholiani,” apparently an alternate spelling for Liana Jorjoliani.

Nokorwat News Daily

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Nokorwat News Daily is a privately owned Cambodian newspaper founded in 2010 by General Kun Kim, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and Director Touch Kong Kea. The publication claims to print 50,000 copies daily six days a week, with 1,300 copies reportedly distributed free of charge to government offices and coffee shops in Phnom Penh. The newspaper covers a broad range of topics from sports to international news and maintains a national reach despite holding only a 2% audience share. Its digital presence allegedly attracts 20,000-25,000 daily visitors “according to the publication’s own figures.” The newspaper gained attention in 2011 when it filed a criminal infringement lawsuit against Soy Sopheap, founder of DAP Media Center, alleging tampering with correspondence.

Chinese Journalists Association of Taiwan

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The Chinese Journalists’ Association of Taiwan (中華新聞記者協會) is a Taiwan-based media organization that received approval for its charter on February 8, 2012. The nonprofit association — which should not be confused with the more recognized Association of Taiwan Journalists (台灣新聞記者協會), a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) — operates with a board of 25 directors and seven supervisors elected for four-year terms. The organization says that its purpose is to promote research in journalism and foster national social development by hosting activities such as journalism competitions, cultural exhibitions, and scholarship programs. However, the association operates in the gray area between professional journalism and advocacy for cross-strait media relations. While maintaining the institutional trappings of a standard media association, and promoting press freedom in its charter, the organization also defines its role as “promoting cross-strait and international news exchange,” suggesting alignment with China. The organization’s board participated in the “Fifth Cross-Strait Media Summit” (第五届两岸媒体人峰会) in Beijing in October 2024, where representatives affirmed that “Taiwanese people are Chinese people,” and emphasized the media’s role as a bridge across the strait. The organization and its leadership regularly appear in Chinese state media coverage, including from agencies linked to the United Front Work Department. The association has also sponsored events such as the “Liaoning-Taiwan Perspectives: Envisioning the Future” (遼台視界，鏡啟未來) — with programming that frames China as an economic opportunity for Taiwanese while subtly advancing unification themes.

Latin American Parliament

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The Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), also called the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament, is a permanent inter-parliamentary institution bringing together the national parliaments of 23 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. It was founded in Lima, Peru, on December 10, 1964. Its core mandate includes promoting regional integration, defending democracy and human rights, and developing model legislation to harmonize laws across member states.