Entity Type: Domestic Chinese-Language Media

Thai Jiaranai Group Public Company Limited (泰國亞洲大衆集團（大衆）有限公司) is a Bangkok-headquartered conglomerate with branch offices and representative offices in Beijing, Shantou, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It is the parent company of Thailand Headlines (泰國頭條新聞) — which describes itself as an outlet devoted to “telling China’s story,” an official CCP phrase for external propaganda — and describes itself as one of Thailand’s most influential ethnic Chinese business groups, claiming repeated commendation from Thailand’s Privy Council and designation as an official cooperation partner of multiple Thai government departments and state institutions. Its leadership, according to its own materials, has been received by senior officials on both the Chinese and Thai sides. In its corporate mission, the group describes following the principle of “transmitting positive energy” (a clear reference to Xi Jinping’s media control language). The group operates across media, commercial trade, event planning, real estate, cross-border e-commerce, program production, and charitable activities. Its media portfolio includes Thailand Headlines (泰國頭條新聞), ManGu Magazine (曼谷雜誌), and Thailand Diligence Bureau (泰國勤報局), with a claimed combined following across platforms exceeding ten million. In May 2023, Thailand Headlines publisher Guo Rui was arrested by Thai police on allegations of using her connections with a senior police official to demand 14 million baht from a Chinese suspect in exchange for dropping charges. She was released on bail. A earlier 2020 article on China Daily‘s website, republished from a provincial broadcaster, identified Zhang Cheng (章骋), also known as Zhang Peiyan (章培炎), as both chairman of CITIC Asia Investment International Co., Ltd. in Thailand (泰國中信亞洲投資國際有限公司) and a senior executive director of Thai Jiaranai Group. This would appear to link the Thai Jiaranai Group and China’s CITIC, one of the country’s largest state-owned conglomerates. However, a critical online post made to Blogspot in May 2015, which has since been deleted, alleged a broader pattern of fabricated institutional affiliations by Zhang — including falsely claiming to represent Alibaba in Thailand (“阿里巴巴集團在泰全權代理人”) and falsely presenting the group as embassy-affiliated (“冒充大使館”). This raises unanswered questions about the nature of the Thai Jiaranai Group’s connections with China. The Thai Jiaranai Group also operates Black Gold Entertainment (墨金娛樂), described as Thailand’s largest Sino-Thai cross-border multi-channel network, managing influencers and online celebrities for advertising and livestream commerce. The group additionally serves as the largest agent in Greater China for the Thailand Privilege Visa Program, and runs a real estate division.