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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Ministry of Digital Development and Information Singapore

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Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) is a government ministry responsible for driving the city-state’s digital development across four key domains: economy, government, security and society. Established in July 2024 as a restructuring of the former Ministry of Communications and Information, MDDI oversees infocomm technology, cybersecurity and media sectors, government digitalisation initiatives, and public communication policies. The ministry manages two statutory boards — the Infocomm Media Development Authority and National Library Board — and oversees the Cyber Security Agency and Personal Data Protection Commission. Led by Minister Josephine Teo, who also serves as Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security and Smart Nation, MDDI operates with the mission of “engaging hearts and minds, a thriving digital future for all” from its headquarters at the Old Hill Street Police Station.

China Press

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China Press (中國報) is a Malaysian Chinese-language daily newspaper founded on February 1, 1946, in Kuala Lumpur by Tun Sir Henry Lee Hau Shik (李孝式), a prominent Malaysian Chinese businessman and politician who later became the country’s first Finance Minister. Lee established the newspaper to counter the communist influence of Min Sheng Pao, which was the only local Chinese newspaper at that time. The newspaper was suspended for thirty days in 1969 following its publication of a court news item during the May 13 racial incidents. After financial difficulties forced its closure in 1985, China Press relaunched in 1986 under Zhou Baozhen, and by 1988, its daily circulation had increased from 20,000 to 100,000, making it the fastest-growing newspaper in Malaysia.

Voice of Vietnam

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Voice of Vietnam, or VOV, is Vietnam’s national radio broadcaster established on September 7, 1945, shortly after the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. As a government agency, VOV serves as an official voice that “disseminates Vietnam’s Party guidelines and State laws, contributing to the people’s enhanced intellectual standards and spiritual lives.” The network began its first program at 11:30 AM on September 7, 1945, with the historic declaration “This is the Voice of Vietnam, broadcasting from Hanoi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.” VOV has evolved from a revolutionary communication tool into a comprehensive multimedia organization encompassing radio stations, television channels, print publications, and digital platforms, broadcasting in Vietnamese and 13 foreign languages to reach both domestic audiences and Vietnamese communities worldwide.

Council for Electronic Media

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The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) is Bulgaria’s regulatory body for media services, established in late 2001. Operating under the Radio and Television Act, the CEM oversees both linear and nonlinear (fixed and on-demand) media services, including radio and television broadcasting, by setting standards and regulations that operators must comply with. The agency’s members are appointed by the National Assembly and the President through a rotational system. The CEM’s responsibilities include licensing broadcasters, monitoring compliance with advertising and content regulations, arbitrating disputes, protecting consumer rights, and promoting fair competition in the electronic media sector. 

Golden Phoenix News

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The Golden Phoenix, established in 2007, is Myanmar’s only legally authorized Chinese-language media outlet under the Ministry of Information. The newspaper claims it “serves as a bridge of friendship, platform for information, and garden for Chinese education” (友谊之桥梁、信息之平台、华教之园地). Under Executive Director Zhang Chong (張翀), the publication maintains sections covering mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese community news. In September 2011, Zhang Chong represented the outlet at the 6th World Chinese Media Forum in Chongqing, China. The paper states it aims to promote China-Myanmar friendship and Chinese culture while providing a platform for Myanmar’s Chinese community.

Xinmin Evening News

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The Xinmin Evening News, was established on September 9, 1929, in Nanjing as Xinmin Po (新民報) by three editors from Central News Agency: Chen Mingde (陳銘德), Wu Zhusi (吳竹似), and Liu Zhenghua (劉正華). After 1946, the newspaper expanded to Shanghai, where it launched its evening edition as Xinmin Evening News. Currently owned by Shanghai United Media Group (上海報業集團), the publication underwent significant transformation in 1958 when the evening edition was formally renamed from Xinmin Po Evening Edition to Xinmin Evening News. In October 2020, the United States Department of State designated the newspaper as a foreign mission of the Chinese government. On January 1, 2025, Xinmin Evening News was integrated with Liberation Daily (解放日報) and Wenhui Daily (文匯報) into the unified Shangguan News platform (上觀新聞), consolidating Shanghai’s three major newspapers under a shared digital framework.

Government of Serbia

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The Government of Serbia, headquartered at 11 Nemanjina Street in Belgrade, is the country’s executive branch, established in its current form on May 2, 2024, though tracing its origins to the Serbian Governing Council of 1805. The institution evolved through several iterations, including the People’s Government of Serbia in 1945, before taking its present form. The government comprises 32 ministries and operates under the leadership of a prime minister, who is nominated by the president and appointed by the National Assembly. According to Serbia’s constitution, the government determines policy, executes laws, adopts regulations, proposes legislation, and directs public administration. The organization maintains oversight responsibility to the National Assembly and is housed in the Government Building in Belgrade.

Propaganda Office of the Jiangxi Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

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The Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Jiangxi Provincial Committee functions as the central ideological control apparatus for the province, directing all state-run media, including its official mouthpiece, Jiangxi Daily (江西日報). Located in Nanchang’s Red Valley New District (南昌市紅谷灘新區), the department implements directives from both the central and provincial party leadership to maintain “correct” political orientation in all local media. The department controls information flows, manages public opinion, coordinates propaganda campaigns, and oversees cultural production across the province — ensuring all channels consistently amplify party messaging and promote official narratives.

Vision Group

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The Vision Group, also known as New Vision Printing & Publishing Company Limited, is a multimedia company that opened in Uganda in March 1986, with majority control by the Ugandan government. It publishes the English-language daily New Vision newspaper, alongside local language editions. The company also operates multiple television channels, including Bukedde TV, Urban TV, and TV West, as well as radio stations (XFM and Bukedde FM). The New Vision Group was established under the 1987 Act of Parliament and became a publicly listed company on the Uganda Securities Exchange in November 2004, trading under the symbol NVL. The Ugandan government maintains majority control with a 53.3 percent shareholding. The company has ties to Chinese media through various partnerships, including a media partnership with China Broadcasting International Economic and Technical Cooperation Co., Ltd since 2024 for broadcasting Chinese content, and content-sharing initiatives, including essay competitions such as “My China Story” that encourage participation within prescribed party-state narrative frameworks, essentially harnessing private storytelling for state messaging.