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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Box Brazil

Box Brazil Media Group is Brazil’s largest independent pay-TV programmer, operating in entertainment and technology with offices in Porto Alegre, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. The group comprises Box Brazil Channels, which operates seven pay-TV channels and ten streaming channels reaching 42 million people daily, along with subsidiaries Container Media, Media Mundus, and the Box Brazil Play streaming platform. Since 2021, the company has maintained a content-sharing partnership with China Media Group, broadcasting Chinese dramas, documentaries, and films to Brazilian audiences while distributing Brazilian content in China. Head of the company Claudia Dreyer participated in China Media Group’s December 2025 Silk Road Television Community Summit in Yangjiang, where she discussed the partnership’s expansion. The relationship exemplifies how Chinese state media entities establish content distribution agreements with commercial broadcasters in emerging markets, positioning Chinese programming within mainstream Latin American media ecosystems.

Spain-China Friendship Association

The Spain-China Friendship Association (Asociación de Amistad España-China), also known in Spain as Asociación de Amigos de China, was founded in 1987 and is based in Madrid. It presents itself as a nongovernmental organization promoting cooperation between Spain and China. They facilitate exchanges between Chinese and Spanish delegations and organize cultural activities in both countries. On its website, the association says that its Chinese counterpart is the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries or CPAFFC (中國人民對外友好協會), as an “organization integrated into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China” that has been its counterpart since its founding, carrying out “intense activities” extending to China’s provinces and municipalities. CPAFFC, established in May 1954, serves as a key conduit for establishing links with foreign individuals and organizations favorable to the CCP leadership’s agendas.” Current president Antonio Miguel Carmona, a macroeconomics professor, has met with Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing (姚敬) and, in September 2023, was received by the vice governor of Hebei province and the vice president of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Melbourne Press Club

The Melbourne Press Club is an independent professional association for journalists and media professionals established over 50 years ago in Victoria, Australia. Operating as a member-funded organization with annual fees of AU$100 for journalists, AU$150 for associates, and AU$40 for students, the Club serves as a forum for media industry engagement and professional development. It hosts regular speaking events featuring political leaders, business executives, and public figures, while advocating for press freedom and defamation law reform. The Club administers the annual Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism and presents three national awards: the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year, Jana Wendt Award for International Reporting, and Harry Gordon Australian Sports Journalist of the Year. The organization maintains a network of over 500 media professionals committed to supporting journalism across Victoria.

Chinese Embassy In Estonia

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Estonia (中华人民共和国驻爱沙尼亚共和国大使馆) was established following the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Estonia in September 1992, following Estonia’s regaining independence from the Soviet Union. Located in the capital, the embassy serves as Beijing’s primary diplomatic mission for bilateral relations, consular services, trade promotion, and cultural exchanges between the two nations.

Commercial News

The Commercial News, launched on December 17, 1993, was Cambodia’s first Chinese-language newspaper following two decades of civil conflict. Founded by Fang Qiaosheng (方僑生), who stated the paper’s mission was to “promote Chinese culture and facilitate business exchange” while “serving the Chinese community wholeheartedly,” the publication aimed to serve Cambodia’s reported 500,000 ethnic Chinese residents. The paper claimed it became “the only surviving and highest-circulation Chinese newspaper” in Cambodia, with approximately 6,000 daily copies. Publishing 12 pages daily, it covered local politics, economics, diplomacy, culture, and news from Greater China. The paper said it served as a “bridge” between the local Chinese community, the Cambodian government, and overseas Chinese. According to archived records, while its print edition continued, the paper’s website (www.thecommercialnews.com) operated from July 2004 until 2010, after which it maintained only a social media presence until July 2018.

International Department of the Central Committee of the CCP

The International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, commonly known as Zhonglianbu (中聯部), was established in 1951 as a functional department responsible for the Chinese Communist Party’s external work. Operating under the direct leadership of the Party Central Committee, the department has continuously expanded its scope around different Party central tasks, contributing to Party building, reform and opening-up, and overall diplomacy. Since the 18th Party Congress, the department has implemented Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party external work. It currently maintains relationships with more than 600 political parties and political organizations from over 160 countries and regions through high-level exchanges, forum dialogues, and working visits. The department focuses on four key areas: serving overall diplomatic layout, conducting research on international situations, building personal networks combining party and government officials, and promoting China’s image by introducing the Party’s governing philosophy. The department has cultivated a culture of “loyalty, dedication, pragmatism, and pioneering.”

Montsame News Agency

Montsame News Agency (蒙古國通訊社), Mongolia’s state-owned national news agency, was established in 1921 and operates from its headquarters in Ulaanbaatar. The agency maintains multilingual services, with MONTA TV studio launched in 2010, and a website launched in 2014 featuring content in Mongolian, English, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese. The agency also publishes several print newspapers, including the English-language The Mongol Messenger, the Russian-language Novosty Mongolii, and the Chinese-language Mongolian News (蒙古消息報). The agency employs approximately 108 staff with correspondents in Moscow and Beijing. The news agency has had longstanding cooperation with China, and in 1958 it signed a cooperation agreement with the official Xinhua News Agency that was renewed in April 2018 to mark the 60th anniversary. The agreement focuses on news cooperation and journalist exchanges. Montsame states its mission as “promoting a positive image of Mongolia abroad.” Montsame has a social media presence on Facebook, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Le Soleil

Le Soleil serves as Senegal’s state-owned daily newspaper, published in Dakar since May 20, 1970. The publication traces its roots to 1933 when French publisher Charles de Breteuil founded the Paris-Dakar weekly, which became sub-Saharan Africa’s first daily newspaper in 1936. Following Senegal’s independence, it was renamed Dakar-Matin in 1961 before adopting its current title. Established under President Léopold Sédar Senghor during a period of “tightly circumscribed” press freedoms, Le Soleil initially operated as a fully state-controlled media outlet. Since Senegal’s democratic transition in 2000, the government has maintained its position as “the main shareholder,” according to scholars Erin Baggott Carter and Brett L. Carter. The newspaper continues to serve as an important voice in Senegalese media while maintaining its historical connections to the state.

Atlanis

Atlanis is an Italian business services company operating in marketing, events, publishing, cybersecurity, real estate, and charity sectors. The company, established in March 2021 by entrepreneur Andrea Di Maso, has six business units, including the digital magazine Italia News Online and the publishing arm Fragola Edizioni, as well as Fragola Company (marketing and communications), Fragola Records (music label), and the Festival del Cuore charity event.