Skip to main content

Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

RT

Written by Editors on .

RT, formerly Russia Today, is a Russian state-controlled international news network funded by the Russian government. Launched in 2005, RT operates channels in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Spanish, French, and German. The network has been widely described as a propaganda outlet for the Russian government, with Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief, once comparing it to Russia’s Ministry of Defense and stating it was “waging an information war” against the West. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, RT was banned throughout the European Union, while platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft restricted its content. RT has been repeatedly found by regulators to broadcast “materially misleading” information and has been ordered to register as a foreign agent in the United States.

Seventh China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum

Written by Editors on .

The 7th China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum was held in Chongqing from November 4 to 6, 2025. The event, co-hosted by China’s National Radio and Television Administration (中國國家廣播電視總局), or NRTA, the People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality (重慶市人民政府), the Arab League Secretariat, and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, brought together representatives from China and Arab nations, including officials from Palestine’s Broadcasting Authority, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), and Mauritania’s High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel en Mauritanie). Participants issued a joint declaration on cooperation in news reporting, content creation, technological innovation, and personnel exchanges, while announcing over 50 cooperation outcomes. The forum represents China’s ongoing efforts to strengthen media partnerships with Arab states, dating back to the forum’s inception in 2011.

High Authority for Press and Audiovisual

Written by Editors on .

Mauritania’s High Authority for Press and Audiovisual Material (Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel), or HAPA, is a media regulatory body established in October 2006, responsible for licensing media outlets, enforcing press regulations, and nominating heads of public media organizations. The authority’s six-member board includes three members appointed by the republic’s president, two by the National Assembly, and one by the Senate, a structure that leaves board members only partly autonomous from the executive branch. In August 2011, HAPA authorized the country’s first private media outlets, ending the government’s 51-year broadcast monopoly. The authority also defines rules governing the access of political parties to public broadcasting during elections.

Arab States Broadcasting Union

Written by Editors on .

The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) is a pan-Arab broadcasting organization  established in February 1969 in Khartoum, Sudan, under the League of Arab States system, and now headquartered in Tunis, Tunisia. The union, with member state seats and a rotating chairmanship, defines its mission as strengthening cooperation among Arab broadcasters through news exchange, programming services, sports rights acquisition, and technical training. The organization maintains partnerships with the European Broadcasting Union and UNESCO. 

Supreme Council for the Regulation of the Media

Written by Editors on .

Egypt’s Supreme Council for the Regulation of the Media is a government regulatory body established under Law No. 92 of 2016 and first formed in April 2017. Although Egypt’s Constitution describes it as an independent body, the President directly appoints its head and most members. The council licenses all media outlets, newspapers, and websites operating in Egypt; it has the authority to block websites, suspend publications, and prevent content deemed threatening to “national security.” The SCMR has been criticized for creating “a restrictive media regulatory scheme that grants authorities broad discretion to censor or block content,” severely constraining independent journalism in Egypt.

The People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality

Written by Editors on .

The People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality (重慶市人民政府) is the administrative body of China’s fourth and largest direct-controlled municipality in China. The mayor runs the government but is subordinate to the municipal party secretary, the top leader. It comprises a mayor, vice mayors, a General Office, and numerous bureaus handling public security, judicial affairs, and civil, economic, social, and cultural matters. The government was established in December 1949, restructured as the Chongqing Revolutionary Committee (重慶革命委員會) during the Cultural Revolution in June 1968, and re-established to its current form in March 1980. Chongqing has often been a focus of policy experimentation, including the formation in 2018 of China’s first international communication center, which operates the iChongqing platform for external propaganda.

People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Written by Editors on .

The People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (新疆維吾爾自治區人民政府) is the provincial-level administrative authority governing Xinjiang, China’s largest province by area. Established in 1955 following the founding of the autonomous region, it operates under the dual leadership of the Chinese Communist Party’s Xinjiang Committee and China’s State Council. The government has overseen well-documented persecution of the Uyghur population, including mass detention, surveillance, and cultural suppression. Headquartered in Urumqi, the regional capital, it manages Xinjiang’s designated role—a central theme in external propaganda—as a strategic gateway for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and oversees the region’s significant energy resources and agricultural production.

China Gives Journalists Tour of Xinjiang Exhibition During China-Central Asia Forum

Written by Editors on .

On November 5, 2025, delegates including scores of unnamed journalists from Central Asia attended the 12th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Xinjiang, where they were taken on a tour of an exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Among the participants was Jawad Ali (جواد علي) (乔一), a correspondent for Al Mayadeen TV in Lebanon, who reported from the event expressing interest in covering more Xinjiang news. This represents a typical example of China’s external propaganda strategy of inviting foreign journalists on state-organized, all-expenses-paid visits to Xinjiang—a region facing significant international scrutiny over human rights issues. These carefully curated press tours focus on issues Beijing regards as core national interests, aiming to generate favorable international coverage. Footage of the tour is available here.

Fourth China-Germany Media Dialogue Held in Beijing

Written by Editors on .

On December 16, 2014, China and Germany held the Fourth China-Germany Media Dialogue in Beijing, bringing together nearly 40 representatives including officials, diplomats, and media professionals. Cai Mingzhao (蔡名照), director of China’s State Council Information Office (SCIO), which is the same office as the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department, highlighted positive results from media cooperation including regular dialogue, joint interviews, and joint program production. He called for enhanced communication in journalism, technology, and management, particularly exploring convergence between traditional and emerging media. German Foreign Ministry State Secretary Stephan Steinlein emphasized China’s increasingly important global role and stated that globalization requires deepened mutual understanding, especially in media. Participants discussed pragmatic cooperation, social media development, and media education.