Entity Type: PRC Party-State Agency

The Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (当代中国與世界研究院), or ACCWS, is a state think tank under the China International Publishing Group (CIPG), also known as the China International Communication Group (CICG). an agency directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. Formally established in 2017 as the successor to CIPG’s Centre for International Communication Studies, founded in 2004, ACCWS fields an internal research team of over 100 specialists alongside a network of domestic and international fellows. The institute focuses on the international dissemination of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” (習近平新時代中國特色社會主義思想), foreign-discourse innovation, international public opinion, and regional communication studies. It publishes three national-level journals — including Contemporary China and the World (當代中國與世界), Chinese Translators Journal (中國翻譯), and International Communications (對外傳播) — operates a big-data platform for international communication analytics, and hosts flagship initiatives including the Global Young Leaders Dialogue and annual global surveys on China’s national image.

The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council (國務院僑務辦公室), or OCAO, is an agency responsible for managing and implementing the government’s policies and strategies toward overseas Chinese communities globally. Since March 2018, it functions as the principal international face of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, though it maintains its original name when conducting public business. The office was established in 1978. In March 2018, as part of deepening institutional reforms, the OCAO was merged into the UFWD, maintaining its distinct name under a practice known in China as “one institution with two names” (一個機構兩塊牌子). The office operates eight functional departments including the Secretariat Administrative Division, Policy and Legal Affairs Division, Domestic Affairs Division, and Foreign Affairs Division covering different regional portfolios. Following the 2018 reorganization, OCAO’s functions were distributed across multiple UFWD bureaus, with particular emphasis on coordinating overseas Chinese communities and cultural exchanges through educational and media initiatives.

The Liaoning Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office (遼寧省人民政府台灣事務辦公室) is a provincial government agency responsible for coordinating cross-strait exchanges and implementing propaganda activities in line with Chinese Communist Party objectives regarding Taiwan.  Established as part of the broader Taiwan Affairs Office network that was created in 1988 under the leadership of the CCP’s Central Committee and State Council, the local office manages all Taiwan-related policies, including personnel exchanges, seminars, and international visits.

The Propaganda Office of the Chinese Communist Party’s Tibet Autonomous Region Committee serves as the chief office responsible for communicating the agendas of the local party leadership and overseeing state-run media in Tibet, including the mouthpiece newspaper Tibet Daily (西藏日报). It coordinates party ideological work throughout the region while simultaneously operating under multiple official names — including the Regional Government Information Office allowing it to exercise comprehensive control over news, publishing, and cultural production. The department functions as the central enforcer of the party’s media discipline, ensuring all local outlets maintain proper political orientation in line with central and regional level directives, particularly regarding sensitive topics related to Tibetan culture, religion, and territorial claims.

The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (中國文學藝術界聯合會, CFLAC) is a national people’s organization led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), described officially as “a bridge and link for the party and the government to connect the literary and art circles.” Founded in July 1949, the CCP Central Propaganda Department (中央宣傳部) organized networks of cultural workers’ associations headed by CFLAC. Though characterized as a non-governmental organization, CFLAC is treated in practice as a government organization under direct CCP supervision, with over two million registered members and 49 regional branches. Its remit extends to literature, film, drama, fine arts, music, photography, calligraphy, dance, and folk arts, with branches extending to the provincial, municipal, and district level across China.

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中國共產黨中央委員會) was established on July 16, 1922, at the 2nd National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Currently composed of 205 full members and 171 alternate members, it serves as China’s highest party decision-making body when the National Congress is not in session. The Central Committee is tasked with carrying out congress resolutions, directing all party work, and representing the Chinese Communist Party externally. Meeting annually at plenums typically held in Beijing, the Central Committee formally elects the General Secretary and Politburo, though in practice these selections are determined through private consultations by the current leadership. The body’s authority stems from its role as the institutional bridge between the broader National Congress and the party’s executive organs.

People’s Daily, first launched in 1946 and established on June 15, 1948, is the official flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), operating directly under the CCP Central Committee. The paper conveys party consensus through highly regimented content and specialized party terminologies known as tifa (提法), with an estimated circulation of approximately 3 million daily copies in multiple languages. From 1966 to 1976, during the Cultural Revolution, it was part of an influential media triumvirate referred to as “two newspapers and one journal” (兩報一刊) that uniformly featured Mao Zedong’s commentaries across their front pages—a centralized control of messaging later viewed as contributing to the period’s chaos. The paper continues to serve as a primary resource for official CCP discourse, focusing on party positions rather than independent reporting, with Xi Jinping’s recent prominence in its headlines widely interpreted as reflecting his consolidation of power within the party.

The National Radio and Television Administration, or NRTA, was established in March 2018 as a ministry-level agency controlled by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. Headquartered in Beijing, it succeeded the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, with Director Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) appointed as its current head in May 2023. The organization maintains direct control over state broadcasters, including China Central Television, China National Radio, and China Radio International, while issuing content guidelines that have restricted everything from reality TV shows to historical dramas. The agency has expanded its international reach, signing a cooperation agreement with Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media in July 2021 on news coverage and media narratives. In June 2022, the NRTA and Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a code of conduct for online content creators that banned material that “weakens, distorts, or denies the leadership of the CCP.”