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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

United Daily News

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Lianhe Ribao (聯合日報) is a Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper that was formed on January 1, 2004, through the merger of Miri Daily News (美里日報), founded in 1957, and Zhong Hua Ribao (中華日報), established in 1945. The newspaper primarily serves East Malaysia, with circulation concentrated in Sarawak and extending to neighboring Brunei Darussalam. According to industry data, the newspaper’s circulation increased from 40,947 copies in 2004 to 50,729 copies by 2017, making it one of the fastest-growing Chinese newspapers in East Malaysia. Lianhe Ribao focuses particularly on local news coverage from western Sarawak regions including Kuching, Samarahan, and Sri Aman, distinguishing itself through community-based reporting that serves the Chinese-speaking populations in these areas.

China News Service

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China News Service (中國新聞社), established in October 1952, is China’s second-largest state news agency after Xinhua. The agency has been under the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party since 2018, focusing on overseas Chinese communities and residents of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The agency maintains offices throughout mainland China and internationally, operating what it calls the “Global Chinese Media Cooperative Union” to redistribute state media content. In 2020, the U.S. State Department designated CNS as a “foreign mission.” According to the Media and Journalism Research Center, as of September 2024, CNS is classified as “State Controlled Media.” The agency expanded into film and television production, launched “China News Video” in 2007, and publishes several periodicals, including “China Newsweek” (中國新聞周刊).

Kwong Wah Yit Poh

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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.

South African Broadcasting Corporation

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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.

China International Communication Group

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China International Communications Group, also known as China International Publishing Group (中國國際出版集團), is a state-controlled media organization established in 1949 and owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Headquartered in Beijing, it operates as a foreign-language publishing and communications enterprise claiming to “introduce China to foreign countries.” The organization reportedly runs 20 overseas branches in countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, and Mexico, employing approximately 3,000 staff members, including about 100 foreign workers. CICG publishes over 3,000 book titles and around 50 journals annually in more than 10 languages, including notable periodicals like China Today (今日中國) and Beijing Review. As of September 2024, independent media researchers classified the organization as “State Controlled Media,” challenging its claims of editorial independence.

Chinese Embassy in Iceland

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The Chinese Embassy in Iceland, located in Reykjavik, manages diplomatic relations between China and Iceland. Iceland established diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China on December 8, 1971, becoming one of the early Nordic countries to recognize the PRC. The embassy’s functions include promoting bilateral political dialogue, economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges, and consular services. In recent years, China-Iceland relations have maintained cooperation in areas including Arctic affairs, clean energy, and fisheries. The embassy disseminates diplomatic information through its official website and social media platforms, advancing mutually beneficial cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework. 

Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation

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Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, or ZBC, is the state broadcaster of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago in Tanzania, officially established in 2013 when the House of Representatives passed enabling legislation signed by President Ali Mohammed Shein. Operating as ZBC TV (formerly Television Zanzibar, founded 1973) and ZBC Radio, the broadcaster is headquartered at Karume House in Zanzibar City and operates under the Public Investment Act of 2002. ZBC claims broadcast coverage across Tanzania and neighboring countries through FM, shortwave, and medium wave radio, plus television distribution via satellite decoders including Azam, ZMUX, and StarTimes. The organization is entirely state-funded with no commercial revenue, and is widely perceived as government-aligned with editorial content echoing ruling party messaging. President Hussein Ali Mwinyi appointed Ramadhani Bukini as Director General in April 2023. Abubakar Harith serves as communications officer and TV presenter. Harith participated in the February 2026 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum journalist delegation touring Chinese industrial facilities.

People’s Daily

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People’s Daily, first launched in 1946 and established on June 15, 1948, is the official flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), operating directly under the CCP Central Committee. The paper conveys party consensus through highly regimented content and specialized party terminologies known as tifa (提法), with an estimated circulation of approximately 3 million daily copies in multiple languages. From 1966 to 1976, during the Cultural Revolution, it was part of an influential media triumvirate referred to as “two newspapers and one journal” (兩報一刊) that uniformly featured Mao Zedong’s commentaries across their front pages—a centralized control of messaging later viewed as contributing to the period’s chaos. The paper continues to serve as a primary resource for official CCP discourse, focusing on party positions rather than independent reporting, with Xi Jinping’s recent prominence in its headlines widely interpreted as reflecting his consolidation of power within the party.

East Asian Civilization Research Center

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The East Asian Civilization Research Center (东亚文明研究中心) at SWPS University, or CCAW, is an interdisciplinary research institute established in 2003 and headquartered in Warsaw, focusing on political, cultural, linguistic, and literary studies of Mainland China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. Founded by the late Professor Krzysztof Gawlikowski, the center evolved from an organizational unit into the Department of Asian Studies within the Faculty of Humanities in 2017-2018. The center participates in the European Union’s Horizon Europe “China Horizons” project examining contemporary Chinese society and culture, and operates a research platform on hermeneutics and translation of classical Chinese texts in collaboration with the University of Warsaw, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, and Adam Mickiewicz University.