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All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Albania Signs Broadcasting Agreement with NRTA

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On October 19, 2019, Albania’s public broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, and China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局), a ministry-level agency under the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department supervising state-run television and radio enterprises, signed an agreement to broadcast Chinese television programs in Tirana, the Albanian capital. The deal granted the Albanian broadcaster rights to air “China: Time of Xi” (习近平治国方略：中国这五年), a joint production between Discovery Networks and China’s State Council Information Office that highlighted — and lauded — President Xi Jinping’s policies, as well as the feature film “Kids of Wuzhumuqin Town” (烏珠穆沁的孩子) a children’s drama about Mongolian culture and youth sports. The Chinese Ambassador to Albania stated that the documentary would “open a new window for Albanians to know China.” The agreement also covered cooperation on exchanging television productions, documentaries, cartoons, and staff training.

Chinese Ambassador Publishes Anti-U.S. Tariff Op-Ed

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On April 30, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang (趙本堂) published a signed article in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias promoting Beijing’s position against US trade policy. The op-ed characterized American reciprocal tariffs as “hegemonic bullying”  (強權霸凌) following Trump’s April 2 announcement of sweeping global tariffs. Trump initially imposed a 34 percent rate on Chinese goods, which later escalated to 145 percent through tit-for-tat retaliation. Citing Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel’s March visit to Beijing and quoting Xi Jinping, Zhao argued China was defending its rights and international fairness while casting the US as the aggressor.

China News Delegation Visits Papua New Guinea

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In late April 2018, a five-member Chinese news delegation organized by the All-China Journalists Association (中華全國新聞工作者協會) conducted the first-ever visit by Chinese media representatives to Papua New Guinea (巴布亞新幾內亞), led by Wang Dongmei (王冬梅), secretary of the association’s secretariat. The delegation included members from China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), Shanghai Broadcasting Network (上海廣播電視台), and Communication University of China (中國傳媒大學). The visit aimed to prepare for coverage of the upcoming APEC summit scheduled for November 2018 in Port Moresby and to establish media cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework. The delegation met with local mainstream media, including The Post-Courier (信使郵報) and The National (國民報), as well as the National Broadcasting Corporation (國家廣播公司). Papua New Guinea officials described their preparations for the summit, with “the government providing 800 million kina (approximately 1.6 billion yuan)” for the event, according to local organizers. However, this figure appears questionable when compared to other reported summit costs of approximately $300 million USD. Local media representatives expressed interest in collaborating with Chinese counterparts and covering China-related stories in Papua New Guinea.

China and Indonesia Hold Youth Media Exchange Program

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On August 29, 2025, the “We and the World Dialogue” (我們與世界對話) China-Indonesia youth media exchange took place in Jakarta, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Nearly 100 young representatives from media organizations, universities, and research institutions participated. The event was co-organized by several Chinese institutions linked to the Guangxi Provincial Government, including the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (廣西壯族自治區人民政府新聞辦公室), the Guangxi International Communication Center (廣西國際傳播中心) — an office under the province’s propaganda office — and Guangxi Radio and Television (廣西廣播電視台). Indonesian partners included the state-run Televisi Republik Indonesia (印尼國家電視台) and the newspaper Harian InHua (印華日報). Participants explored three central themes throughout the event, including AI, media integration (媒體融合), and “Partners with Shared Destiny” (命運與共好夥伴) — this last theme clearly aligned with Xi Jinping’s foreign policy framework. This event is part of Guangxi’s broader role under a national plan in China to empower border provinces in the south to promote Chinese messaging across Southeast Asia.

MailOnline and People’s Daily Sign Content-Sharing Agreement

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In April 2016, the British online newspaper MailOnline entered into a content-sharing arrangement with the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. Under the deal, the two outlets agreed to exchange approximately 40 articles per week, covering current affairs, travel, and lifestyle, as well as content from both the Chinese and English editions of the Global Times (環球時報), a tabloid newspaper under the People’s Daily. Articles published under the agreement carried a disclosure banner identifying their origin. MailOnline publisher Martin Clarke, confirming the arrangement to The Guardian, said “there is no cash involved” and made the odd suggestion that the Party-run mouthpiece, which is generally full of highly specialized Chinese political discourse, would help the outlet “better understand the country’s social and political structures.” 

La República Signs Cooperation Deal with People’s Daily

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In September 2023, marking the 35th anniversary of China-Uruguay diplomatic relations, Uruguayan newspaper La República established cooperative relations with the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. China selected La República to develop a special publication on bilateral diplomatic relations, and the newspaper had a journalist training in Beijing at the time, publisher Juan Blanco stated in a September 11, 2023 People’s Daily interview. Blanco praised the Belt and Road News Network — operated by People’s Daily and hosted on its name servers — for providing “first-hand information from a truthful, reliable source issued from the origin.” Blanco said the newspaper expected “more cooperation with Chinese media.” The cooperation preceded Uruguay’s November 2023 state visit to China where President Lacalle Pou signed a Belt and Road cooperation plan. Blanco emphasized that ideological differences should not hinder cooperation, stating “people unite by other concepts” and media relationships form “the first encounter” of information exchange. The newspaper publishes China-related content nearly daily. Blanco participated in the February 2026 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum journalist delegation.

Visit by People’s Daily Editor to Thai Business Association

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In September 2014, Shan Chengbiao (單成彪), deputy editor-in-chief of People’s Daily Online, visited the Thai Chinese New Generation Business Association (泰國華人青年商會) in Bangkok along with several staff members including the People’s Daily Thailand bureau chief Shi Xiaohui (施曉慧). They were received by Li Guixiong (李桂雄), who served as president of the association. Li described People’s Daily and People’s Daily Online as “China’s most important and most influential media” and praised them for “thoroughly taking up their role as mouthpieces of the Party and the people.” The visit was part of broader media engagement efforts by People’s Daily, which serves as the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, to strengthen ties with overseas Chinese business organizations in Thailand.

BNR and CMG Sign a Cooperation Agreement

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On June 4, 2025, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a cooperation agreement in Beijing. According to BRN, the deal encompasses the exchange of news, music, and digital media content, as well as radio programs and information in the fields of culture and tourism, and the joint implementation of media projects — though the announcement made no mention of what this would entail. The China Media Group operates more than 40 television channels and 17 radio frequency bands, and broadcasts in several languages, including Bulgarian.

CMG Signs MOU with Malaysian National News Agency

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On November 5, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) during Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s four-day working visit to China. Both countries’ prime ministers witnessed the document exchange ceremony. The agreement establishes a routine cooperation mechanism between the two mainstream media organizations, focusing on content sharing, joint program production, and personnel exchanges. This partnership aims to expand cultural communication channels and contribute to the development of China-Malaysia relations. Bernama, Malaysia’s official news agency, was established by an Act of Parliament in 1967 and began operations in May 1968.