Skip to main content

Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

NRTA Signs MOU with UAE Media Council

Written by Editors on .

On May 30, 2024, in Beijing, China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) and the United Arab Emirates Media Council signed a memorandum of understanding, witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平) and visiting UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agreement, signed by NRTA Director Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) and UAE National Media Office Director Abdullah, purportedly establishes cooperation in policy communication, content collaboration, program exchanges, personnel exchanges, technology applications, and industry development. According to the Chinese state-affiliated source, the UAE Media Council serves as the government authority responsible for media policy formulation and industry regulation, though the specific details of implementation and the practical scope of this media partnership remain unclear.

People’s Daily Signs Agreement with Lusa News Agency

Written by Editors on .

On June 2, 2016, the People’s Daily (人民日報), China’s official Communist Party newspaper, signed a cooperation agreement with Portugal’s national news agency Lusa in Beijing. Yang Zhenwu (楊振武), who served as president of People’s Daily from April 2014 to April 2018, and Teresa Marques, then president of Lusa’s Administrative Council, attended the signing ceremony. The agreement was signed during a Belt and Road Forum organized by the People’s Daily, part of the newspaper’s annual series of media cooperation forums launched in 2014 to promote collaboration among international media on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路). Under the agreement, the outlets pledged to exchange news content and collaborate on Belt and Road reporting, with Marques noting Lusa could contribute coverage across Portuguese-speaking countries in Portugal, Africa, and Asia.

CMG Signs Media Cooperation Agreement with NMG

Written by Editors on .

Russia’s National Media Group (NMG) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a cooperation agreement on May 8, 2025, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations. The agreement covers content exchange, joint production, and technology sharing between the two state media entities. NMG’s CEO said the partnership was “an important step,” asserting (apparently citing social media views) that NMG’s animated series “Three Cats” (三只小猫) — a series by director Dmitry Vysotsky about a family of felines — has achieved “several billion views in China.” The signing coincided with an announcement that “Red Silk,” a Russian-Chinese detective film about 1927 Trans-Siberian Railway espionage, received China’s “dragon seal” certification, a difficult-to-obtain permit by film control authorities allowing unlimited theatrical distribution of films in the country.

CMG and Spanish Ministry of Culture Sign MOU

Written by Editors on .

On September 9, 2024, China Media Group (CMG) and Spain’s Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum for strategic cooperation on broadcasting and film production. According to a report from China Central Television, the state-run broadcaster under CMG, the memorandum establishes “a regular cooperation mechanism” for cultural heritage protection and personnel exchanges, and commits both parties to “joint production and broadcasting of cultural programs” (文化節目聯合制播). The deal means CMG can co-produce documentaries and content about Spanish culture and China-Spain relations that will be broadcast on CMG’s networks in China and internationally, while Spain’s Ministry of Culture gains access (in principle) to CMG’s production resources and Chinese broadcast markets. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez witnessed the signing during Sánchez’s second official visit to China. 

China’s Ambassador Touts CCP Success in Portuguese Media

Written by Editors on .

On June 18, 2021, the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal, Zhao Bentang (趙本堂), published a signed article in the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias titled “Why has the Communist Party of China been able to gain power and maintain long-term governance in China?” (中國共產黨為什麼能夠在中國取得政權並長期執政？). The article presented the official Chinese Communist Party narrative on its hundred-year history, arguing that the CCP’s success in recent decades stems from adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions, prioritizing people’s interests over special interest groups, embracing reform and openness, learning from global civilizations, and demonstrating international responsibility through peaceful development and multilateral cooperation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ In an oft-used CCP argument against concerns stemming from China’s global engagement, Zhao said that China does not “import” foreign models and does not “export” (輸出) the China Model. 

Chongqing ICC Signs Distribution Deal with Sri Lanka Mirror

Written by Editors on .

On April 1, 2025, Chongqing’s Western International Communication Center (西部国际传播中心), or WICC, launched a dedicated channel for its English-language program Let’s Meet on Sri Lanka Mirror, a Colombo-based bilingual news outlet that describes itself as “a reliable, unbiased and reputed news company.” According to a report by iChongqing, a platform operated by the ICC, the launch marked the first overseas “station” of the WICC’s Let’s Meet Online TV platform, which the center says it plans to expand to additional international media outlets as part of its effort to build what it describes as “a new global communication network.” Sri Lanka Mirror carries WICC-produced content — including episodes featuring foreign influencers hosted by the center on organized visits to Chongqing — without apparent disclosure of the content’s origins in a Chinese state-affiliated propaganda operation. A full list of the center’s overseas media partners has not been made public.

Chinese Ambassador Pens Article on China-EU Relations

Written by Editors on .

On July 22, 2025, Ambassador Zhao Bentang published a signed article in Portugal’s Diário de Notícias to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties established on May 6, 1975, between China and the European Economic Community (EEC). Although the EU was formally established in 1993, both sides recognize 1975 as the official start of their diplomatic history. The article emphasized growing bilateral trade and criticized “unilateralism and bullying behavior” (單邊主義，霸凌行徑), an apparent criticism of the United States and the imposition of tariffs. Ambassador Zhao also noted the 20th anniversary of China-Portugal’s comprehensive strategic partnership, established in 2005. Zhao called on Europe to “respect China’s core interests with practical actions” (以實際行動尊重中方核心利益) and to follow the “One China Principle” (一個中國原則) — an assertion of China’s claimed sovereignty over Taiwan. This demand is at odds with the Taiwan positions upheld by many members of the European Union, who adhere to their own understandings of “one China” that do not endorse the PRC’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan. Most EU states use strategic language in their diplomatic communiqués. Instead of “recognizing” that Taiwan is part of China, they often “acknowledge,” “take note of,” or “understand and respect” Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China. This allows them to avoid taking a formal legal stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Meets with Diário de Notícias

Written by Editors on .

On February 6, 2024, Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang (趙本堂) met with representatives from Diário de Notícias, a Portuguese newspaper founded in 1864. The meeting, reported only by the Chinese Embassy, featured Zhao promoting China’s foreign policy framework and proposing expanded media cooperation. The newspaper’s representatives pledged to present “a real, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China” to Portuguese readers — language that closely echoes Chinese state media narratives about countering alleged Western media bias. 

Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Pens Article for Diario de Noticias

Written by Editors on .

On September 11, 2024, China’s ambassador to Portugal published an article in Diário de Notícias, a Portuguese daily newspaper, discussing the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit held September 4-6, 2024. FOCAC is a China-led platform for cooperation with African countries, established in 2000. The ambassador characterized the summit as China’s largest recent diplomatic event, with leaders from over 50 African countries attending. He outlined a three-year cooperation framework and called for China-Portugal-Africa trilateral cooperation to “support Africa in achieving modernization through its own path” (支持非洲以自身道路实现现代化). The ambassador’s framing emphasized China’s role as a partner in African development, echoing Beijing’s broader narrative of South-South cooperation. He also pitched for trilateral cooperation targeted Portugal’s existing relationships with six Portuguese-speaking African nations: Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Equatorial Guinea.