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In Chinese society today, too many things, people, topics and moments are regarded as ‘sensitive,’ to the point that just about anything dealing with the people’s welfare is called ‘sensitive.’

In Chinese society today, too many things, people, topics and moments are regarded as ‘sensitive,’ to the point that just about anything dealing with the people’s welfare is called ‘sensitive.’

David Bandurski

CMP Director

Latest Articles

Shanghai’s Last Newsstand

Jan 16, 2026 | Dalia Parete

As China pushes a national reading initiative and AI reshapes information, one Shanghai shop offering 1,000 publications represents a vanishing era of relative editorial variety.

A Tradition in Retreat

Jan 14, 2026 | Tian Jian

As Chinese media publish annual New Year’s messages, the space for truth-telling continues to narrow in Xi Jinping’s China.

Are You Dead Yet?

Jan 13, 2026 | Dalia Parete

A bluntly branded daily check-in app sparks debate over sensitivities around death in China while grappling with the country’s growing crisis of solo-living and related safety concerns.

Paper Cuts

Jan 7, 2026 | Dalia Parete

The closure of dozens more newspapers signals the final fizzling of China’s once-vibrant metropolitan print media sector at the outset in 2026.

A Self-Serving Global Survey

Jan 5, 2026 | David Bandurski

A poll from a government-run tabloid in China claims broad international embrace of Xi Jinping Thought. Something smells fishy.

Can China Be Trusted to Lead on AI Safety?

Dec 18, 2025 | Alex Colville

While the country presents itself as a leader in AI safety, a closer look suggests its governance priorities may not always align with international concerns — raising questions about who should shape the emerging global AI order.

China’s Communication Centers Stumble

Dec 18, 2025 | David Bandurski

As Beijing rapidly expands local propaganda outposts to boost its global image, systemic problems are undermining the ambitious international communication push.

The Chinese Core of “Uganda’s ChatGPT”

Dec 17, 2025 | Alex Colville

A deployment of China’s Qwen in the east-central African country seeks to harness the free technology to provide AI to the country’s multiple obscure languages. But what does this chatbot have to say?

China’s Invisible Journalists

Dec 16, 2025 | Xiao Bing

They make foreign reporting in China possible yet work without bylines or legal protection. For news assistants — also known as “fixers” — every story can carry professional risk and personal cost.

The Chinese Province Reshaping AI in Southeast Asia

Dec 12, 2025 | Alex Colville

Guangxi represents the most concerted government effort so far to push the nation’s AI products abroad. A chatbot created for the Malaysian government is evidence of how AI can help reshape the region as a Chinese sphere of influence.

Global Dreams in Small-Town China

Dec 12, 2025 | David Bandurski

As international communication centers proliferate across China down to the county level, Xi Jinping’s grand vision for global “discourse power” meets absurd local reality.

AI Cop Signals VPN Crackdown

Nov 13, 2025 | David Bandurski

China’s AI-generated police spokesman returned this week with warnings to all Chinese that circumventing the Great Firewall threatens personal safety and national security — and will be punished.

Beyond Blue and White

Nov 10, 2025 | David Bandurski

Former Global Times editor Hu Xijin warns that official notices are replacing journalism, undermining China’s ability to communicate effectively during crises.

Hubei Hit-and-Run Escapes the Headlines

Oct 29, 2025 | Alex Colville

When a car struck schoolchildren in Hubei, authorities silenced the story for three days as a key political meeting was underway in Beijing. The blackout reveals how China’s information controls have intensified — and how citizens are struggling to break through.

Beijing Frames the Trump Visit

Oct 28, 2025 | David Bandurski

Two pseudonymous commentaries in yesterday’s People’s Daily — and a media event earlier this month in South Korea — reveal China’s systematic approach to shaping elite opinion ahead of the Xi-Trump meeting in Seoul.

Agent 012339 Reports for Duty

Oct 20, 2025 | CMP Staff

China’s Ministry of State Security deploys an AI anchor in full uniform to deliver national security warnings on social media.

Foreign Voices for Xi’s Global Vision

Oct 17, 2025 | David Bandurski

Continuing its push to portray Xi’s “Four Great Global Initiatives” as a boon for a multipolar world, the CCP’s flagship newspaper features a headline mention of the quartet by an African parliamentarian.

Xi Jinping’s Global Quartet

Oct 16, 2025 | David Bandurski

With a crucial party plenum next week and the UN’s 80th anniversary approaching, a Qiushi article positions Xi’s four global initiatives as China’s blueprint for reordering the world.

The Repetition Complex

Oct 12, 2025 | David Bandurski

Eight days, eight articles, eight assurances that China’s economy is thriving and everything is fine. When did confidence require this much convincing?

The Malice Police

Sep 26, 2025 | David Bandurski

China’s latest internet special actions, a campaign against “negative emotions,” lifts the lid on the country’s obsessive and capricious control culture.