GOING GLOBAL

GOING GLOBAL

Chinese media have an ever greater presence outside China, reflecting a concerted effort by the state to expand its influence on global public opinion. Watch this space for our analysis.

Latest | Going Global

‘Iron Brothers’ for the China Story

Nov 22, 2024 | Dalia Parete

Launched in Pakistan eight years ago, Huashang Weekly offers an up-close look at how China is telling its story overseas by propping up news outlets that amplify its voice.

Cloaking What China Says

Oct 31, 2024 | Alex Colville

This week in a study session of the Politburo, Xi Jinping talked about “innovating internet propaganda.” Part of the answer to how China plans to do this lies in its growing network of cloaked official accounts. We take a deeper look.

Reading Red on Cross-Strait Relations

Oct 23, 2024 | Dalia Parete

China’s efforts to conduct external propaganda on core issues like Taiwan are often built on totally concocted events, and even spurious or unavailable intellectual works. But that, as Dalia Parete and David Bandurski write, may be beside the point.

From the Archive

Media Friendship, from Beijing to Jakarta

Sep 4, 2024 | David Bandurski

At a recent event for China-Indonesia media cooperation, part of China’s larger push for influence in Southeast Asia, “responsibility” was on the agenda — emphasizing for participants that the role of journalism is to promote good feeling and a smooth bilateral relationship.

How to Push China’s Narrative Abroad

Jul 23, 2024 | Alex Colville

Exchanges this week between Guyanese media and a provincial-level communication center in Shandong offer a glimpse of China’s broad push for influence abroad. The secret: convince journalists in the Global South that using Western media sources on China means unfair bias.

Olá Panda!

Jun 28, 2024 | David Bandurski

As China’s leadership pushes regional and local media and propaganda offices to strengthen their global communication efforts, Sichuan province takes a typical soft approach with Portuguese audiences.

More Local Centers for Global Propaganda

Jun 12, 2024 | David Bandurski

The addition of external propaganda bases in Zhejiang and Tianjin over the past two weeks brings the total number at the provincial level to 23. These ICCs, also being launched at the city level, are meant to remake China’s approach to delivering its message externally.

Golden Opportunities

Apr 9, 2024 | David Bandurski

One of Southeast Asia’s largest media groups announced this month that it would collaborate on content with a Chinese magazine. Is it turning a blind eye to the powerful political motives and interests that lay behind?

Winning Hearts on a Korean Island

Apr 8, 2024 | David Bandurski

A recent series of events on South Korea’s remote Jeju Island offers a glimpse in miniature of China’s vast global media diplomacy campaign to paint the most pleasant picture of Xinjiang, where the country has been accused of serious human rights abuses.

New Frontiers in Foreign Propaganda

Mar 5, 2024 | Dalia Parete

The latest collaboration between the Discovery Channel and state-run media in China has been accused of whitewashing genocide in Xinjiang. Why is this American network so keen to “tell China’s story well?”

The Local Game of Global Propaganda

Feb 29, 2024 | David Bandurski

A new regional media network for South Asia and Southeast Asia created by the government’s China Daily and the provincial propaganda apparatus in Yunnan offers another glimpse into how Xi Jinping is seeking to remake the CCP’s global communication.

Human Rights Heist at the United Nations

Feb 16, 2024 | David Bandurski

During its recent Universal Periodic Review China emphasized that it had its own path for human rights, rejecting “the West’s” focus on political rights. David Bandurski and Dalia Parete look at how related state narratives have emerged from the heart of the UN.

Telling China’s Story in Stockholm

Jan 27, 2024 | David Bandurski

Angered by what he saw as biased coverage in the Western media in 2008, a Chinese resident in Sweden launched a newspaper and website for the Chinese diaspora in Nordic countries. The outlet is now a megaphone for the external propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party.

What Does It Mean to Understand China?

Jan 4, 2024 | Dalia Parete

Originally meant as a platform for dialogue, the “Understanding China” international conference has become a mere stage for China’s ruling party. It stands as yet another example of how the notion of dialogue has become twisted by China’s media statecraft in the Xi era — and how cities and provinces are now being roped into the business of external propaganda.

As Italy Exits BRI, Radio Silence

Dec 13, 2023 | Dalia Parete

When the Meloni government announced in July that Italy intended to exit Xi Jinping’s signature trade and infrastructure program, Chinese state media made their voices heard. But Italy’s formal step to withdraw last week has met with uncharacteristic quiet.

Desert Power, Discourse Power

Nov 2, 2023 | Ryan Ho Kilpatrick

The latest outpost for China’s nascent International Communication Centers has been unveiled in Lanzhou New Area, a satellite city on the edge of the Gobi that has been dismissed as a ghost town. What does this tell us about China’s external propaganda efforts directed westward to Belt and Road partners?

Reading China’s Media Counter-Attack

Oct 5, 2023 | David Bandurski

China responded with fury and indignation to a report alleging that it has invested billions to build a “global information ecosystem” to spread propaganda and disinformation. A media analysis of the country’s response, which paints the US as an “empire of lies,” only substantiates the report’s main thesis.

Telling the Mekong Story

Jul 11, 2023 | David Bandurski

As China pursues water diplomacy with countries along the Lower Mekong, seeking to strike a benevolent tone and downplay environmental and livelihood impacts that have devastated local communities, it has another big tool in its toolbox — media diplomacy.

China’s Rush to Ratify

May 26, 2023 | David Bandurski

In forums and conferences at every level, Chinese representatives seem eager to foist grand declarations on their guests. Why is China in such a hurry to get past the conversation and sign the dotted line?

Framing China in Southeast Asia

May 24, 2023 | CMP Staff

A training session for Southeast Asian journalists hosted by the foreign affairs office in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang is a reminder that China’s state agendas are being actively pushed not just from the top, but from the local and regional levels as well.

Mixing Media and Statecraft in Latin America

Apr 9, 2023 | David Bandurski

State media fanfare last month over China’s re-established diplomatic relations with Honduras revealed just how indistinguishable China’s diplomatic, media and intelligence strategies can be across the region, and around the world.

Faking the Fake News Debate in Cambodia

Mar 24, 2023 | David Bandurski

At a recent journalism forum in Phnom Penh, the head of an organization claiming to represent local Chinese-language media spoke out against fake news — as he spread false narratives directly from China’s foreign ministry and state media outlets.

The Ins and Outs of the China Daily USA

Mar 16, 2023 | Ryan Ho Kilpatrick | China Daily, FARA

According to its latest filings to the US government, the China Daily makes no profit, spends little on reporting, and outsources printing. So what business is this “newspaper” really in?

Co-Producing with the CCP

Feb 17, 2023 | David Bandurski

As documentaries and other forms of factual storytelling have emerged as a key means for China to influence global public opinion and “tell China’s story well,” one CCP-run production outfit has taken the lead in developing partnerships and co-productions with credible foreign channels. Our in-depth look at the China International Communication Center (CICC).

Getting Personal With State Propaganda

Jan 25, 2023 | David Bandurski

A new university research center in Jiangxi province with the stated intent of exploiting international exchange students to further China’s external propaganda goals should alert universities around the world to the dangers of the CCP’s transactional view of friendships and exchanges.

Chinese Propaganda, In a Local Paper Near You

Jan 19, 2023 | David Bandurski

Recent reflections on China’s efforts at global influence in the CCP’s official newspaper suggest core Party media have made little real progress in developing their own international channels for communication since “going out” was defined as a key goal in the late 2000s — and that when it comes to foreign audiences, they just aren’t listening.

Tibet, By Any Other Name

Sep 29, 2022 | David Bandurski

So far unremarked by the outside world, a slow change in translation has unfolded this year in English-language reports about Tibet from one of China’s key official media outlets, and in materials from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Telling China’s Story, Poorly

Aug 15, 2022 | Kevin Schoenmakers

Why did four Chinese propaganda documentaries of questionable quality and dubious provenance win awards at minor, as well as fake, international film festivals?

China’s Global Soundbite Factory

Aug 4, 2022 | David Bandurski

Chinese state media have lined up international voices speaking against the visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But sources professing outrage have appeared with suspicious regularity in external propaganda for years — suggesting they are borrowed voices speaking the CCP’s convictions.

Taking China’s Global Cyber Body to Task

Jul 14, 2022 | David Bandurski

It has been a rocky eight-year journey for China’s World Internet Conference, and global credibility still eludes the event. Here’s what you should know about the CCP’s latest effort to re-frame WIC as an international organization. Let the buyer beware.

Eradicating China’s “Spiritual Americans”

Jun 29, 2022 | David Bandurski

The latest inflammatory rhetoric from Zhang Weiwei, head of the China Institute at Fudan University, is a concerning sign of what his thinking on external messaging, which has found a willing ear in the leadership, means for intellectuals at home.

The Politics of Interruption

Apr 29, 2022 | David Bandurski

After a Chinese diplomat’s tough interview on an American news show, a questionable meme galvanized anger on Chinese social media over the country’s supposed mistreatment. The story behind the meme is a textbook lesson in coordinated distraction by China’s new generation of state-run media.

Tagged on Twitter

Apr 4, 2022 | Kevin Schoenmakers

New bright orange labels on the popular social networking service warn users to reconsider before sharing content from “state-affiliated media.” But are these labels overreaching in ways that could also limit the spread of some of China’s best reporting?

Reframing Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Apr 1, 2022 | David Bandurski

In recent weeks, as Ukraine and its people have suffered under Russia’s unprovoked aggression, China’s government and state media have sought consistently to pull the focus back to a single central narrative – the guilt and irresponsibility of the United States.

Tricks of the External Propaganda Trade

Mar 16, 2022 | Stella Chen

China’s annual “two sessions,” the political meetings that just closed in Beijing, are not just about introducing policy decisions and new legislation. They are also seen by the government and official state media as a prime time to deliver China’s propaganda message overseas, extolling the virtues of the country’s leadership.

Warriors on the Red Road

Mar 1, 2022 | CMP Staff

Aired on the Discovery channel in Southeast Asia and India — and perhaps coming soon to a channel near you — Journey of Warriors may look like just another documentary survival series. But there is more to this internationally co-produced adventure than meets the eye.

An Olympic Legacy of Media Control

Feb 4, 2022 | David Bandurski

Facing criticism ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese government has repeatedly criticized what it calls the “politicization of sports.” But China’s own words and actions make it patently clear that its leaders, determined to tell a one-sided “China story” at the expense of diverse voices, see these Games through a self-serving political lens.

Gaming for the China Story

Jan 25, 2022 | Stella Chen

Xi Jinping has emphasized the crucial role of Chinese traditional culture in “telling the China story well” and building up the country’s international influence. But who says China can’t find discourse power on a post-apocalyptic desert highway in the American West, where zombies and monsters must be dispatched through brutal combat against the backdrop of Japanese billboards?

Short Videos to Tell the China Story

Jan 18, 2022 | Stella Chen

Viewed by nearly 90 percent of the country’s one billion internet users, short videos are the rage in China. Hoping to ride the wave and change minds, CCP propaganda leaders are rewarding the promotion of Party agendas at home and abroad through the popular medium.

Personal Brands for Party Agendas

Jan 7, 2022 | Kevin Schoenmakers

In a bid to advance Chinese government narratives more credibly overseas, state media have encouraged more “flexible and personalized” use of the individual accounts of their employees on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. When are social media accounts personal? And when are they being disingenuous about the state agendas they serve?

At Home with External Propaganda

Dec 8, 2021 | Stella Chen

The Battle at Lake Changjin, hailed inside China as a film transforming the production value and appeal of films that tow the CCP line, may have broken domestic box office records this year. But the struggle for global audiences will be far more difficult to win. And China may not be listening.

Propaganda Success Stories

Nov 6, 2021 | David Bandurski

Years after its global release on the Discovery channel, a documentary series extolling the virtues of Xi Jinping’s leadership is still avidly studied inside China as an instance of unvarnished success in “telling China’s story well” and furthering its external propaganda goals. But what does this say about the health of the “Chinese discourse system” some pundits say is on the rise?

Growling Back at the West

Aug 8, 2021 | Lai Fu

The tough brand of foreign engagement that has become known as “wolf warrior diplomacy” has certainly drawn attention to China. But is it the right kind of attention? And can “wolf warrior diplomacy” effectively tell the China story?

Seeking China’s New Narratives

Jul 16, 2021 | David Bandurski

The views put forth by a range of Chinese scholars at a recent discussion forum in Beijing hosted by the Center on China and Globalization offer a glimpse into strategic discussions of public diplomacy and propaganda in the country’s think-tank sector.

Fudan’s Storm in Budapest

Jul 13, 2021 | Fulop Zsofia

As plans by Shanghai’s Fudan University for a new international campus in Budapest’s ninth district meet staunch local opposition, with fears the project is a Trojan horse, it is unclear what lessons the university’s efforts in Hungary will have for the global future of Chinese higher education.

Strategies for the China Story

Jul 9, 2021 | David Bandurski

China’s strategic thinkers expend a lot of time and a lot of ink these days on the question of how the country can project a positive image across the world. But are they actually listening? We look at a recent series on China’s image abroad by the Shanghai Institute of International Studies.

Influencers, Activists and Diplomats

Jun 22, 2021 | David Bandurski

A recent speech by the head of China Media Group, the super-conglomerate directly under the Chinese Communist Party, suggests China is gearing up to further refine its external communication strategy. But can calls for “innovation” break free of the restraints of one-size-fits-all thinking?

Powers of Persuasion

Jun 2, 2021 | David Bandurski

Language emerging from a recent collective study session of China’s Politburo has prompted some observers to ask whether China might be softening its diplomatic tone. A more careful look at the context is in order.

Running Defense for China’s Global Media Push

May 12, 2021 | CMP Staff

At a routine press conference yesterday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying rebutted a report due for release today on China’s overseas influence activities. Ignoring clearly stated policies on the role of the media in China that emphasize the CCP’s dominance of agendas, she suggested that outlets like Xinhua are objective and truthful.

Inside China’s Global Media Blitz

Mar 17, 2021 | David Bandurski

A full-page spread in China’s official People’s Daily boasts of making “media drops” of 750 unique articles in 12 languages placed in nearly 200 media outlets in more than 40 countries — offering a rare glimpse into the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to sway global public opinion.

Selling China’s Anti-Poverty Model

Mar 16, 2021 | CMP Staff

China’s leadership is now actively promoting a grand narrative of its anti-poverty victory, which party-state media have called an “earthly miracle.” The narrative has become a core part of the CCP’s external propaganda strategy and its foreign policy.

The X Factor

Mar 9, 2021 | David Bandurski

As the official People’s Daily rolls out an English-language A to Z of reasons for China’s declared victory over poverty, it exposes an important truth about the nature of politics under Xi Jinping.

Chongqing Hires Globally for China’s Voice

Feb 25, 2021 | CMP Staff

Xi Jinping has talked about the need to “tell the Chinese story well,” enhancing China’s global influence through favorable reporting of the country. Regional governments are now hiring foreign talent for help with external propaganda.

All This Talk of Independence

Feb 12, 2021 | David Bandurski

The withdrawal of the UK broadcast license for the PRC’s state-run CGTN news channel has drawn fury in China. But isn’t the ruling that CGTN “is controlled by a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature” in line with Chinese policy on the media?

China’s Telling Twitter Story

Jan 18, 2021 | Kevin Schoenmakers

A review of official Chinese media accounts on Twitter indicates that engagement with the accounts has dropped since the US-based social media platform began labeling them as state-affiliated.

China’s Silent Trade Row

Nov 6, 2020 | David Bandurski

News of export suspensions against Australia, which emerged in China’s nationalist Global Times tabloid, have kicked up a controversy down under. Revealingly, the suspensions, which will impact Chinese consumers, have not been covered at all within China. What does this mean?

Sour Grapes Over Latest Pew Survey

Oct 9, 2020 | David Bandurski

The state-run tabloid Global Times has cried bias as the latest Pew Research Center poll reveals that China’s image is suffering in many countries in the West. But state media have often used Pew polls when the results are to the leadership’s liking.

China’s Story Comes to Brussels

Sep 10, 2020 | David Bandurski

China’s state media super-conglomerate China Media Group (CMG) is now planning to open a European headquarters in Brussels. It’s time to understand how the CCP envisions its external propaganda strategy.

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