All Lingua Sinica Dispatches
The Daily Mail is a British daily newspaper founded in 1896, headquartered in London and owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). Currently the second largest newspaper in the United Kingdom by circulation — behind only The Sun — it covers politics, economics, entertainment, lifestyle, royals, health, sport, and personal finance
Founded on November 1, 1949, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is one of Germany’s most influential daily newspapers. The newspaper states on its website that its values are independence, thoroughly researched facts, precise analyses, and insightful commentary. The publication reaches an estimated 818,000 readers daily. The FAZ, as the outlet can be called, has also established a strong digital presence through FAZ.NET, numerous apps, and podcasts. The outlet generally rates strongly for its professionalism, receiving a “High” rating for factual reporting from the independent site Media Bias/Fact Check. But nor has it been free of controversy. In 2014, former FAZ journalist Udo Ulfkotte, who worked at the paper from 1986 to 2003, published a book questioning the paper’s independence and claiming he and other journalists published material provided by US intelligence agencies; however, another German daily, Der Spiegel reported that critics viewed Ulfkotte’s book as “a vendetta against the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which he left on bad terms,” and noted it was published by a publisher known for conspiracy theory content.
On February 5, 2026, Hunan Biological and Electromechanical Polytechnic College (湖南生物機電職業技術學院) signed a cooperation agreement with Gofa Industrial College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, establishing a “‘Chinese + Vocational Skills’ Yadis Workshop,” according to an announcement on the Chinese institution’s website. The partnership was explicitly framed as “actively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative” and advancing China’s vocational education model abroad. The Chinese representative emphasized “sharing China’s advanced experience” in agricultural technology and vocational methods. The agreement includes teacher exchanges and curriculum development aligned with Chinese technical standards, positioning such partnerships as development solutions for African countries and reflecting broader Chinese public diplomacy efforts to promote its development model in the region.
On July 29, 2024, the China Media Group (CMG) hosted a cultural exchange event in Madrid titled “China’s deepening reform in the new era” as part of Beijing’s broader effort to shape international media narratives following the Third Plenum – a gathering of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party traditionally focused on economic policy. Speakers included Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), CMG president; José Luis Centella, president of the Communist Party of Spain; and Yao Jing (姚敬), Chinese ambassador to Spain. Shen said that China’s reforms would bring “more opportunities” to the world, echoing standard CCP messaging on Chinese modernization. During the event, CMG also announced several cooperation projects, including “A Look at China: Spanish Journalists’ China Tour” (一起看中國:西班牙記者中國), which would bring Spanish reporters to China for media reports on Chinese development; a CGTN digital exhibition on paintings from the Song dynasty; and an invitation for Spanish museums to participate in CMG’s National Treasure (國家寶藏) program, broadcast on CCTV-3 channel, which regularly showcases Chinese cultural highlights. Ten CMG-produced programs promoting Chinese modernization and Sino-Spanish cooperation were scheduled for broadcast across Spanish outlets, including Mediaset, EFE News Agency, and Barcelona Television
Mediaset Spain (Mediaset España), formally known as Grupo Audiovisual Mediaset España Comunicación, opened in Madrid on March 10, 1989, and began broadcasting in 1990 as Tele 5. Mediaset España operates seven free-to-air television channels and has expanded beyond broadcasting into advertising sales through Publiespaña, film production via Telecinco Cinema, and public relations consulting. In 2023, the broadcaster joined a group of Spanish media in broadcasting “China-Spain Cultural Journey” (中西文化之旅), a series of programs marking the 50th anniversary of China-Spain diplomatic relations, organized between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and the China Media Group (CMG), the mega-conglomerate under China’s Central Propaganda Department.
Cátedra China is a Spain-based organization founded in 2012. The think tank describes its mission using language that closely mirrors CCP narratives, presenting itself as a bridge between “knowledgeable and lovers of current and historical China” from Spanish and Chinese academic, business, media, and institutional circles. It organizes conferences, seminars, and political dialogue events, and publishes the magazine Mundo Global. The think tank has ties to the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), a government body that aims to cultivate foreign networks and relationships. The association has a partnership with the Spain-China People’s Friendship Association (AACHE), an organization established in 2019 at CPAFFC’s encouragement. In 2020, a report from the US State Department characterized CPAFFC as being used to “directly and malignly influence state and local leaders.” In 2024, it inaugurated Fundación Cátedra China, with the aim of strengthening knowledge and relations between Spain, the European Union, and the People’s Republic of China. The organization maintains close ties with the Chinese embassy in Spain. In February 2021, former Chinese Ambassador to Spain Wu Haitao (吳海濤) met with Cátedra China’s executive committee, calling it “necessary and valuable.” In March 2024, the think tank launched the “China Comienza Aquí” (China Begins Here) programme, in collaboration with the PRC embassy in Spain. The program arranges meetings between Chinese diplomats and Spanish university students in what the organization describes as informal, “protocol-free” exchanges. Current Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing (姚敬) has attended multiple Cátedra China events and, in November 2024, jointly presented with Cátedra China on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan – a strategic roadmap for China to follow until 2030. Marcelo Muñoz is the founder and current honorary president. When interviewed by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN Europe, he said he “was the first ever Spaniard to open a business in China” in 1978. Muñoz has authored multiple books and writes regularly for Spanish outlets. In interviews with Chinese state media, he echoes Beijing’s narratives, describing China’s transformation as one of humanity’s greatest transformations.
El 33 is Catalonia’s second public television channel, belonging to Televisió de Catalunya, a subsidiary of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA). Created in September 1988, the channel broadcasts exclusively in Catalan and focuses on cultural programming, including documentaries, science, and the arts. El 33 offers programs that complement TV3’s content, catering to specialized audiences with educational and cultural interests while experimenting with new audiovisual formats.
El Debate is a Spanish Catholic newspaper originally founded in 1910 and published in Madrid until 1936, when it ceased publication at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The newspaper was relaunched on October 1, 2021, as a digital publication under the direction of Bieito Rubido, former director of the national newspaper ABC, and financed by the Asociación Católica de Propagandistas. The relaunched publication covers Spanish affairs, international issues, economy, society, culture, and religion. According to its director, El Debate advocates for “the defense of the unity of Spain, the constitutional order, the family and the monarchy,” as well as Christian values.
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), or PSOE, is a social democratic political party in Spain. Founded in 1879, the PSOE is Spain’s oldest existing political party and has governed longer than any other party in modern democratic Spain. The party was led in 2026 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has served since 2018 and forms a coalition government with the left-wing Sumar party, established in November 2023. The PSOE is a member of the Party of European Socialists, the Progressive Alliance, and the Socialist International, representing center-left social democratic politics in Spain.