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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Thai Rath

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Thai Rath, Thailand’s largest-circulation newspaper, was founded on December 25, 1962, by Kampol Wacharapol, though its origins trace to his earlier publications. Wacharapol first launched the weekly Khaw Phaph (Photo News) on January 9, 1950, which became a daily in 1952 before being shut down by the military government in 1958. He then operated Siang Ang Thong from May 1959 until launching Thai Rath proper. The newspaper claims a circulation exceeding one million copies daily and maintains its position as Thailand’s best-selling Thai-language publication with a reported 46% share of online news consumption. UNESCO recognized Kampol Wacharapol in 2017 as “a person of global significance in media and education.” The company expanded into digital media with thairath.co.th and launched Thai Rath TV in 2014. The Wacharapol family continues to control the media empire through Wacharapol Co. Ltd, with operations spanning print, digital, television, and related businesses including cosmetics and logistics ventures launched in 2021.

China Media Group

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China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), also known as “Voice of China,” was established on March 21, 2018, under the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department (中共中央宣傳部). China’s largest state media conglomerate was formed through the merger of China Central Television (中國中央電視台), founded in 1958, China National Radio (中央人民廣播電台), and China Radio International (中國國際廣播電台). The organization operates 47 television channels and 17 radio frequency bands, with claims of maintaining bureaus in 63 countries and regions. CMG states its flagship news program Xinwen Lianbo (新聞聯播) “attracts an average daily audience of 120 million” and claims the 2020 Spring Festival Gala was watched by 1.232 billion people in China and overseas.” The organization broadcasts in more than 40 languages through subsidiaries, including China Global Television Network (CGTN). As the China Media Project notes, CMG has been “portrayed by state media sources as a key step in advancing China’s international transmission capacity and telling China’s story well,” serving as the Party’s central platform for domestic propaganda and international broadcasting.

Australia Asia Business Weekly

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Australia Asia Business Weekly (澳洲環球商報) was established on August 1, 2008, as Perth’s bilingual Chinese-English weekly newspaper serving the local Asian community. The publication covers Australian news, community news, information on immigration and education, and classified advertisements serving the diaspora population. The paper says on its online “About Us” page that it cooperates with Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po (文匯報), publishing two full pages each week of content directly from the pro-Beijing state newspaper. It also claims official backing from China’s Guangdong Province Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee (中國廣東省海外華人委員會), suggesting a possible formal connection with the Chinese government and its “united front” overseas outreach structure. In 2017, Australia Asia Business Weekly partnered with Chinese digital platform Huaren Toutiao (華人頭條) to create a local news app for Perth’s Chinese community called “Huaren Toutiao Perth Station” (華人頭條珀斯站), allowing the newspaper to reach younger audiences in Australia.

Liaoning Communication University

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Liaoning Communication University (遼寧傳媒學院), or LNCU, is a higher education institution located in the city of Shenyang, in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. Established in 1991, the university is one of eight dedicated media and communication universities in China. It offers 19 undergraduate specialties, including programs taught in English on animation design, internet and multimedia, and visual communication design.  LNCU says it has established academic exchange relationships with several institutions globally, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France — but does not offer concrete information about such cooperation.

Global Youth Leadership Forum

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The Global Youth Leadership Forum (GYLF) is a Spain-based international organization established in 2016 that positions itself as “the main global forum for inter-generational dialogue on the planet,” bringing together leaders under 40 with global figures including presidents, ministers, and CEOs to discuss international challenges. Led by President Jacobo Pombo, the organization has established partnerships with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which announced GYLF 2017’s launch. The GYLF reports in its online history that Pombo was invited by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to join an expert group visiting China in March 2016 to analyze preparatory work for the 19th National Congress, indicating deeper connections between the organization and Chinese leadership circles. The forum claims to have gained participation from King Felipe VI of Spain. It reports that it has brought together close to 150 young leaders at international events.

Slovak News Agency and CMG Sign Deal

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On November 5, 2024, the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) and the News Agency of the Slovak Republic signed a cooperation memorandum during the Slovak Prime Minister’s official visit to China from October 31 to November 5. The deputy director of CMG and TASR’s director general signed the agreement, which called for regular exchanges, content sharing, technological cooperation, and personnel visits between the two state-affiliated media organizations. The agreement coincided with the 75th anniversary of China-Slovakia diplomatic relations and the nation’s broader effort to establish a strategic partnership with China.

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.

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.

The News Agency of the Slovak Republic

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The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (Tlačová agentúra Slovenskej republiky), also known as TASR, is Slovakia’s national public news agency, established in 2008 through Act No. 358/2008 of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. Operating independently without state subsidies, TASR provides news coverage across domestic, foreign, economic, and sports. The agency offers news services in multiple languages, including English and Hungarian. TASR is also a member of the European Alliance of Press Agencies (EANA). The agency is governed by a director-general who is voted into the post by a five-member administrative board.