China Newspeak

Download CMP's 18th National Congress Series

The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is just around the corner. Download our essential series to prepare.

The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is just around the corner. And for those of you who want a handy reference in hand to help understand the ins and outs of this political gathering, the China Media Project is pleased to offer a downloadable PDF version of our WATCHWORDS series.
CLICK HERE to download WATCHWORDS_Reading China Through its Party Vocabulary, by QIAN GANG.
WATCHWORDS is a new commentary series unpacking the most important political watchwords to watch in present-day China and explaining how they are critical to any understanding of China’s political past, present and future.

David Bandurski

CMP Director

Latest Articles

Redacting History

May 19, 2025 | Alex Colville

An old video surfaced last week to commemorate a devastating quake nearly 20 years ago. But key portions of the original were conspicuously absent — a reminder that in China, the past is always dangerously present.

Plucking China’s “Peach Networks”

May 13, 2025 | Dalia Parete

A state television exposé last month claimed to unmask exploitative dating apps, but it also exposed how cyclical media campaigns serve official narratives in China’s tightly controlled information landscape.

Respect for the Hero

Apr 30, 2025 | David Bandurski

A young auxiliary officer in Xinjiang grips hearts across China with a daring rescue, but her act of courage unveils deeper questions about worker equity and state response to public questioning.

China’s AI Job Mirage

Apr 30, 2025 | Alex Colville

State media portrays artificial intelligence as a near-magical solution to the country’s youth employment challenges, but interviews with actual job seekers reveal a more complicated picture.

Bringing AI Down to Earth

Apr 21, 2025 | Alex Colville

Are Chinese media exaggerating the elevated state of the country’s AI technology? A senior scientist says yes—and warns that hype is blinding China to looming challenges.

AI Moves to Page One

Apr 18, 2025 | David Bandurski

One of China’s most celebrated metro commercial newspapers embraces artificial intelligence for front-page design, signaling deeper digital disruption in a newspaper industry facing tough times.

China’s Anti-Corruption Act

Apr 10, 2025 | Dalia Parete

The country’s leadership has launched another round of anti-corruption campaigning. But its use of classic cases, personal shaming and action posing is a reminder that it is more interested in political theater and loyalty tests than in real institutional reform.

Deadly Blunders in Bangkok

Apr 2, 2025 | Alex Colville

When a skyscraper built by a Chinese state company was the only to collapse in during the recent earthquake, China’s first response was not rescue — it was information lockdown.

China’s Monologue Machine

Apr 2, 2025 | David Bandurski

The newest “international communication center” in Hunan recruits college volunteers to promote state-approved narratives about local development to foreign audiences. Is this strategic thinking, or a fatal failure to grasp how communication works?

War Games

Apr 1, 2025 | David Bandurski

Beijing conjures ancient magic to transform military threats into mythical adventures — but Taiwan sees nothing supernatural about the missiles pointed at its shores.

Pen Names, Stern Warnings

Mar 25, 2025 | David Bandurski

Over the weekend, a state-run newspaper used a coded byline to signal concern about local government waste. It was a reminder of how the internal communication of the Chinese Communist Party works through an opaque system of institutional pseudonyms.

A River Crisis Prompts Rare Coverage

Mar 24, 2025 | David Bandurski

Chinese media outlets have taken the unusual step of more openly covering a toxic thallium contamination in Hunan’s Leishuei River, exposing a crisis kept under wraps for a full week.

New Messages from China’s Ancient Capital

Mar 21, 2025 | David Bandurski

China’s latest international communication center, or ICC, has been founded in Luoyang, a cradle of Chinese civilization, as part of growing efforts to enhance the country’s global media presence under the guidance of the state.

Shrinking Humanities for AI

Mar 19, 2025 | Alex Colville

As China makes a national push toward technology-driven ‘new productive forces,’ Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University pivots from humanities to artificial intelligence. Is this the right move?

Blackmail Blogging

Mar 18, 2025 | David Bandurski

The sentencing of an online influencer for “news extortion” in China reveals a shadowy world in which media have the power to put a price tag on silence.

China’s Campus Propaganda Pipeline

Mar 14, 2025 | David Bandurski

Xi’an Jiaotong University partners with a state propaganda center to create a “talent pipeline” for China’s global messaging efforts — raising concerns about academic independence as universities become tools in Beijing’s international influence strategy.

Influencer Diplomacy

Mar 13, 2025 | Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

On a recent curated tour of cities in China, Indonesian influencers gushed about food and culture while millions of followers watched. Behind their seemingly spontaneous posts lies a sophisticated state strategy: these digital stars are unwitting ambassadors in China’s campaign to reshape its image abroad, revealing how social media is transform…

Ancient Outpost Seeks a New Voice

Mar 5, 2025 | David Bandurski

Guyuan becomes the latest local hub in China’s vertically integrated propaganda network, joining forces with a state media outlet to amplify Beijing’s voice abroad.

Leapfrogging to Autocratic AI

Feb 24, 2025 | Alex Colville

As China’s DeepSeek AI is adapted to censor anti-government content in India, is the technology a gift to despots everywhere?

Prato Gets Wenzhou Media Liaison Office

Feb 14, 2025 | David Bandurski

China’s network of ICCs — local centers meant to revolutionize its state-led global communication — is growing both at home and overseas.

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