Entity Type: PRC Party-State Agency

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China is a cabinet-level executive department of the State Council responsible for agriculture and rural affairs nationwide. Formed on March 19, 2018, superseding the former Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry gained additional responsibilities from agricultural investment projects previously managed by other government departments. In 2023, it absorbed the National Rural Revitalization Administration and gained rural science and technology functions from the Ministry of Science and Technology as part of broader government restructuring. The ministry handles China’s “three rural issues” (三农问题) — agriculture, rural areas, and farmers — managing fisheries, animal husbandry, farmland resources, irrigation, agricultural mechanization, and food safety. It houses the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group and oversees China’s rural vitalization strategy, reflecting the government’s prioritization of agricultural modernization and rural development. The ministry can play a role, as most offices, in conducting external propaganda and public diplomacy around key areas within its remit — including advertising China’s claimed achievements in rural development and poverty alleviation for developing nations in the Global South.

The Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, or “MOFCOM,” serves as China’s primary state organ for domestic and international trade policy. Established in 2003 through institutional consolidation, MOFCOM merged the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation with select functions from the State Development Planning Commission and State Economic and Trade Commission.
The ministry’s extensive mandate encompasses both domestic commercial regulation and international economic diplomacy. Current Minister Wang Wentao (王文濤), appointed in 2020, oversees operations from the Beijing headquarters at 2 East Chang’an Street. MOFCOM’s institutional evolution reflects China’s economic transition – from centrally-planned trade apparatus (1952-1982) to market-oriented commercial governance. Key responsibilities include formulating trade policies, managing foreign investment approvals, conducting WTO negotiations, and coordinating anti-dumping investigations. The ministry also administers China’s foreign aid programs and oversees special economic zones. Recent organizational changes in 2018 transferred antitrust enforcement to market regulators and foreign aid coordination to the newly created National International Development Cooperation Agency, indicating ongoing institutional refinement within China’s economic governance structure.

The Propaganda Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP is the functional department of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee responsible for ideological work throughout the province. The department formulates and implements propaganda tasks, policies, and measures in accordance with central government directives and provincial party committee decisions. Led by a director who holds an ex officio seat on the Provincial Party Standing Committee, the office coordinates and guides all propaganda and cultural units in the province, overseeing media regulation, cultural activities, educational content, and internet information management. It ensures consistent messaging across all communication platforms, maintains narrative control, promotes the CCP’s ideological principles, and translates central directives into local implementation. As a key component in the party’s broader propaganda system, the department wields significant political influence in shaping public opinion and reinforcing party authority throughout Shaanxi.

The Internet Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP serves as the provincial-level branch of China’s national cyberspace governance system. It functions as the executive arm of the Shaanxi Provincial Cyberspace Affairs Commission, operating under the “one institution with two names” system that characterizes China’s cyberspace administration bodies. The office is responsible for implementing internet censorship, cybersecurity measures, and information control policies within Shaanxi Province. Similar to its national counterpart, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), it coordinates internet information content management, supervision, and enforcement at the provincial level. The office director holds an ex officio seat on the Shaanxi Provincial Party Standing Committee, reflecting the importance of internet control in the Party’s governance structure. It reports to both the provincial party leadership and the central cyberspace authorities, ensuring that national directives on digital policy are implemented locally while addressing province-specific internet governance issues.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, established in May 2011 as the State Internet Information Office, functions as China’s powerful internet regulator and censor. Now serving as the executive arm of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission (chaired by Xi Jinping), the CAC implements far-reaching censorship, regulates internet content, and oversees data security policies. Led by Zhuang Rongwen (庄榮文), who concurrently serves as a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department (officially translated as “Publicity Department”), the agency exercises extensive powers through the 2016 Cybersecurity Law and 2021 Data Security Law. The CAC’s activities include censoring “rumors,” controlling cross-border data transfers, requiring pre-review of online comments, ensuring AI systems uphold Communist Party ideology, and maintaining majority ownership in the China Internet Investment Fund (中國互聯網投資基金), which holds stakes in major tech companies like ByteDance and Weibo through “golden shares.”

The China Institute of International Studies or CIIS (中國國際問題研究所) is a professional research institute established in 1956 and directly administered by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Originally founded as the Institute of International Relations of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was renamed the Institute of International Relations in 1958 and assumed its current name in December 1986. In 1998, the China Center for International Studies was incorporated into CIIS. The institute focuses on global politics and economics research to facilitate central government decision-making. CIIS comprises eight departments covering regional studies and strategic analysis, with four affiliate bodies. In July 2020, CIIS opened the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Foreign Affairs. In 2020, CIIS was designated as one of China’s 29 “national high-level think tanks.” The organization employs approximately 200 researchers and staff, typically led by former Chinese ambassadors.

Established in 2024 as an international outreach arm of Jiangmen’s United Front system, the Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Media Center operates under the direct control of the Jiangmen Returned Overseas Chinese Federation (江门市归国华侨联合会). The center is chaired by Yang Xuedong (杨学东), who simultaneously serves as a vice chairman of the Federation. Its primary mission involves cultivating relationships with overseas Chinese-language media to disseminate “Jiangmen stories” internationally. As of 2023, the center claimed partnerships with over 100 overseas Chinese media outlets across 57 countries. It regularly reports to the Federation’s Party Committee Secretary and holds quarterly work meetings where Federation officials provide directives and guidance for its international propaganda efforts.

Established in 1955, according to the federation‘s official website, the Jiangmen Returned Overseas Chinese Federation functions as a mass organization founded and led by the Chinese Communist Party to serve as a bridge between the Party-state and overseas Chinese communities. Operating under the direct leadership of the Jiangmen Municipal Party Committee, but linked to the national United Front Work Department system, the Federation claims to employ 12 staff members across three departments and oversees eight affiliated organizations, including the Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Media Center (江門市僑媒中心). Following the principle of “working domestically while influencing internationally,” the Federation implements overseas United Front work through cultural exchanges, business promotion, and media outreach. According to its website, it has established 986 overseas Chinese organizations citywide, with 437 Party-led overseas Chinese work stations. The Federation actively collaborates with the United Front Work Department to implement the “Overseas Chinese Affairs Strong City” initiative while maintaining relationships with 74 overseas Chinese media outlets across 30 countries.

The Central Propaganda Department (中共中央宣傳部) is the internal office within the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party charged with ideology dissemination, media control and the coordination of propaganda both across China and toward the outside world. The office exercises direct leadership over China’s media control system, including the issuing of “guidance” to newspapers, magazines and online outlets as well as the radio, television, publishing and film industries — ensuring that all outlets, products and initiatives align with party policies. The CPD coordinates with the propaganda offices of local party committees at the provincial, city and county levels. Since the early 1990s, the department has been officially known as the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CCP, with the use of the word “publicity” an attempt to downplay the deeply political aspect of the office’s daily work.