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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

The Washington Post

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The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. Founded on December 6, 1877 by Stilson Hutchins, it is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The newspaper has been owned by Nash Holdings, controlled by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, since 2013. As of 2023, the Post had 130,000 print subscribers and 2.5 million digital subscribers, making it the third-largest American newspaper by circulation after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper’s masthead bears the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” adopted in 2017. The Post gained prominence for its coverage of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and the Watergate scandal in the 1970s under editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee. The paper has faced a growing number of problems since the 2020s, including financial losses, declining subscriptions, and editorial controversies surrounding publisher William Lewis’s appointment in 2024. The newspaper employs approximately 1,050 journalists and is headquartered at One Franklin Square in Washington, D.C.

Jiji Press

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Jiji Press is a Japanese news agency established in 1945 following the dissolution of the state-owned Domei News Agency. The company provides news content to approximately 140 media organizations, including newspapers, broadcasters and government agencies. Jiji Press maintains more than 100 branch offices in Japan and globally. The news agency’s motto is “Bringing world affairs to Japan and sharing Japanese voices with the world.” The agency’s digital platform Jiji.com, launched in 2000, attracts over 15 million monthly visitors through partnerships with Thomson Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Wuxi Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

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The Wuxi Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party serves as the local leadership organ for the Communist Party in Wuxi, a major city in Jiangsu province. The committee oversees political governance for this economically significant municipality, which serves as a regional hub for manufacturing, technology, and foreign investment. Wuxi has attracted substantial international business presence, particularly from South Korean companies, with nearly 800 Korean enterprises operating in the city. The municipality maintains sister-city relationships globally, with South Korea representing its largest source of such partnerships. 

Publications de Presse Burundaise

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Publications de Presse Burundaise (PPB) is a state-controlled publishing entity established under Presidential Decree No. 100/0112 in 2019 as a department within Burundi’s Ministry of Communication, Information Technologies, and Media. The organization produces two government-aligned newspapers: Le Renouveau du Burundi (French) and Ubumwe (Kirundi), while also handling official government document printing. PPB operates under tight executive control, with the President appointing all senior leadership upon ministerial recommendation. The entity receives substantial state funding. Nevertheless, financial instability has persisted, and in early 2025, Le Renouveau was forced to reduce its publication frequency from five to three issues weekly. The State Media Monitor has described the PPB and its papers as “closely aligned with official state narratives.”

Chinese Embassy in Uganda

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The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Uganda is China’s chief diplomatic mission to the Republic of Uganda, located in Kampala. It was opened in 1962, the same year diplomatic relations were formalized shortly after the creation of the Republic of Uganda in October of that year — making it one of China’s earliest diplomatic missions in Africa. The relationship deepened in 1964, according to Chinese state sources, as China invited Ugandans to Beijing for leadership training. The embassy handles various functions, including political dialogue, trade promotion, cultural exchanges, and consular services for Chinese citizens in Uganda as well as visa services for Ugandans planning travel to China. 

National Broadcasting Corporation

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The National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC PNG) is the country’s state-owned broadcaster, established December 1, 1973, and headquartered in Boroko, Port Moresby. The corporation operates two national radio stations—NBC Radio (90.7 FM and 585 AM) and Tribe 92FM (92.3 FM), which targets younger audiences—along with NBC TV, launched September 16, 2008. NBC is a member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and maintains approximately 20 locations nationwide with 19 provincial radio stations. According to the Lowy Institute, NBC plays “a critical role in connecting and informing the nation, especially those citizens without access to other forms of communication,” though its transmission infrastructure has faced significant challenges. The broadcaster’s mission includes reflecting “the drive for national unity” and expressing “the culture, characteristics, affairs, opinions and needs of the people,” according to its official website.

El Mercurio

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El Mercurio is one of Chile’s oldest newspapers, with its Valparaíso edition founded on September 12, 1827, by Pedro Félix Vicuña, and its Santiago edition established on June 1, 1900, by Agustín Edwards Mac Clure. During the early 1970s, the CIA poured funds into this “staunchly right-wing” publication to undermine Salvador Allende’s government, with President Nixon personally authorizing $700,000 in covert support in September 1971. According to declassified documents, the newspaper played “a significant role in setting the stage for the military coup” that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power in September 1973. The Valparaíso building was set on fire by demonstrators during the 2019 Chilean protests.

United Nations

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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization established on October 24, 1945, following World War II to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote international cooperation, and foster social progress. Headquartered in New York City, the UN comprises six principal organs: the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, Secretariat, and Trusteeship Council. With 193 member states, it addresses global challenges through specialized agencies including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the World Bank. The organization operates in six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Throughout its history, the UN has engaged in peacekeeping missions, humanitarian aid, human rights promotion, and sustainable development initiatives worldwide.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

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The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, established following the 1997 handover from Britain to China, operates under the “one country, two systems” principle with executive authority vested in a Chief Executive appointed by Beijing’s State Council after selection by a 1,500-member Election Committee. The Chief Executive leads an executive-dominated system alongside the Chief Secretary for Administration, Financial Secretary, and Secretary for Justice, who oversee 15 policy bureaus. While officially responsible to the Legislative Council for enacting laws and approving spending, the government maintains substantial autonomy over Hong Kong’s internal affairs, though Beijing controls defense and foreign policy. Since 2020, the national security law has significantly expanded the government’s powers to prosecute dissent, criminalizing secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, leading to hundreds of arrests and the closure of pro-democracy outlets.