We have a number of important stories on China’s media this week. Two of these speak to the rapid and steady decline of traditional print newspapers in the country — first, the closure of a major commercial newspaper in Gansu province, following a string of similar closures on the east coast (as print revenues decline […]

As Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing today for talks with Xi Jinping, the Global Times had to note that the relationship between China and Russia “has innovative significance for major power relations.” Read the headlines in China these days and “innovation” is everywhere. In whatever arena a question arises — technology, economics, politics, media, culture […]

In recent days in China, a seemingly routine human resources document arising from a new media training conference at a Party newspaper has feverishly made the rounds on the Chinese internet.The notice, dated May 22, is from Shaanxi Daily, the official Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece of Shaanxi province. It reports that on May 18, the […]

One key characteristic of Xi Jinping’s “New Era” has been the progressive elimination of all forms of ideological variance within the Party. Growing centralization of Party power has come with a pronounced narrowing of the discourse spectrum. Everyone must converge at the center — or remain silent. Now comes the news, not altogether surprising, that […]

In a ceremony in Beijing earlier this week, the director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Xu Lin (徐麟), presided over the inauguration of the China Federation of Internet Societies (CFIS), a broad internet industry grouping whose stated purpose is to “promote the development of Party organizations in the industry.” The federation’s establishment is a […]

In the New York Times today, Raymond Zhong and Paul Mozur write about how China risks spoiling its innovative technology sector through increasingly heavy-handed intervention. While China has in recent years “defied the truism that only free and open societies can innovate,” they write, the country’s “tilt toward strongman rule” under Xi Jinping could put […]

A confession delivered on WeChat by the founder and CEO of the tech company ByteDance offers a glimpse into how beholden companies in China are today to the demands of the leadership.

China’s comeback story is playing on repeat these days. According to this feel-good narrative, the country has returned to the center of the world stage after weathering two centuries of misfortune. And now, As Xi Jinping told fellow leaders last month, China faces an historic opportunity to contribute to the world (为世界作贡献). The model that […]

In a report released this week, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) released the results of its annual survey on conditions facing foreign journalists working in the country. The report, “Access Denied,” showed that 40 percent of the 117 respondents — from among a membership pool of 218 foreign correspondents — reported a deterioration of […]