ChinaFile Presents: China Reporting in Exile
‘Beijing’s Global Media Offensive’
Over the past several years, there has been an active debate about Chinese influence overseas. Amidst allegations that Beijing has influenced foreign elections and politicians, state newswire Xinhua has expanded into one of the largest news...
When China Reporters Can’t Report from China
Shortly after midnight on March 18, a phone call awoke Steven Lee Myers in his Beijing apartment. The call was followed by a flurry of messages: WhatsApp, text, email. Friends and colleagues were asking him questions: What is going on? What does...
Chinese and Africans are Having Totally Different Conversations About Their Relationship
Chinese news coverage and African and international reports are often starkly different from one another, even when discussing the same issues. With Chinese and African news consumers reading vastly different perspectives, what can be done to...
A Documentary Reveals the Dangerous Fickleness of Online Fame in China
In The People’s Republic of Desire, Hao Wu films the lonely shadows where the lines between online and offline dissolve.
China’s Communist Party Takes (Even More) Control of the Media
China’s Communist Party made moves last month to solidify and formalize its (already substantial) control over the country’s media. China’s main state-run broadcasters are to be consolidated into a massive new “Voice of China” under the...
Can Chinese Journalists Criticize the Party-State?
from Sinica PodcastOutside observers typically view China’s media as utterly shackled by the bonds of censorship, unable to critique the government or speak truth to power in any meaningful sense. In part, this is true. Censorship and other pressures do create “no-...
China Loves Trump
In January of last year, around the time of the presidential inauguration, as jitters about the relationship between Donald Trump and China mounted, I regularly joined the mob of reporters at the Chinese foreign ministry’s daily briefings in...
Australian Furor over Chinese Influence Follows Book's Delay
The book was already being promoted as an explosive exposé of Chinese influence infiltrating the highest levels of Australian politics and media. But then, months before it was set to hit bookstore shelves, its publisher postponed the release,...
Trump's Visit to China Provides a Propaganda Bonanza
#TrumpHasArrived! The Chinese news media broke out the hashtags this week as soon as Air Force One landed in Beijing, delivering both President Trump and an irresistible propaganda opportunity for President Xi Jinping of China.
Chinese State Media Mocks Trump’s “Emotional Venting” on Twitter
“Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media,” Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, referring to himself, characteristically, in the third person. “Only way for me to get the truth out!” Of course, the list of...
Big Daddy Dough: Hip-hop and Macroeconomics in China
from Sinica PodcastBy day, Andrew Dougherty is a macroeconomist who manages a China research team for Capital Group, one of the world’s largest actively managed mutual funds. By night, he is Big Daddy Dough, creator of an album of parody hip-hop...
Hollywood Made in China
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 ignited a race to capture new global media audiences. Hollywood moguls began courting Chinese investors to create entertainment on an international scale—from behemoth theme parks to blockbuster films. Hollywood Made in China examines these new collaborations, where the distinctions between Hollywood’s “dream factory” and Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream” of global influence become increasingly blurred.
After $225 Billion in Deals Last Year, China Reins In Overseas Investment
On Saturday, in the strongest public signal yet that Beijing is changing course, China’s commerce minister castigated what he called “blind and irrational investment.”
Donald Trump Accuses China of 'Unpresidented' Act Over US Navy Drone
President-elect makes spelling error in belligerent early morning tweet; China says ‘hyping up’ of issue is not helpful but agrees return of vehicle
For China’s State Media, Trump Victory Can’t Cure the ‘American Disease’
China’s ruling elite seems to be consoling itself with the idea that Trump will take charge of a country staggering into decline and disunion
Unswayed by Extraordinary Public Outcry, China Executes Nail Gun Killer
China sends messsage that ordinary people can’t take the law into their own hands, and the Communist Party is simply not going be swayed by a public outcry.
With Odes to Military March, China Puts Nationalism into Overdrive
President Xi has been making the case for a “new long march,” using the anniversary to rally the public and warn against creeping complacency
What Will a Trump Presidency Mean for China?
The response of China's state-controlled media to Donald Trump's victory seemed almost gleeful. What's happens next?
China’s Media Challenges Western Narratives of Africa
The Chinese media presence across Africa has expanded dramatically over the past ten years, as Beijing has...
Chinese State Media Say U.S. Debate Shows Vote is ‘Lose-Lose’
Party paper report calls Trump nervous, Clinton well-prepared
How to Counter China’s Global Propaganda Offensive
It has been a difficult year for many Western democracies — and China is rubbing it in.
China Enlists Rap Video for Military Recruitment
China’s military has released a rap music video titled “Battle Declaration” as part of a campaign to lure young recruits.
Chinese Corruption Gets House of Cards Treatment with Communist Mini-Series
State-sanctioned TV drama will focus on the Communist Party’s resolve to eradicate corruption.
A Chinese Journalist Reflects on Reporting the China-Africa Story
How foreign journalists report on the China-Africa story is often determined by the national origin of their news organization. While there are no doubt exceptions, the U.S. news media frequently frame China as the neo-colonial...
Chinese Publication, Censored by Government, Exposes Article’s Removal
Caixin Media reported that the government had deleted its March 3 article because it contained “illegal content.”
How Long Can China’s Internet Thrive if the Rest of the World Gets Shut Out?
Last week, Chinese authorities announced that as of March 10, foreign-invested companies would not be allowed...
China Unveils Tough Controls on Foreign Media Activities
Foreign-owned media or joint ventures in China will not be able to publish online without prior approval.
Smarter, Sexier State Media: There’s an App for That
Before the Internet age, it used to be relatively straightforward for authoritarian regimes to dictate popular news consumption: just control all the major newspapers, as China’s ruling Communist Party has done since the founding of the People’s...
Mission Improbable—Jack Ma, China’s Biggest E-Commerce Tycoon, Wants To Be a Media Mogul Too
Jack Ma, Alibaba’s billionaire boss, wants to be a global media mogul.
Chinese State Media Hits Back at Claims of Racist 'Star Wars' Poster
"Finn (who happens to be black) and Chewbacca (happens to be Wookiee) get shafted in China."
China Box Office Hits $6.3 Billion for 2015, Marking 48 Percent Yearly Growth
Local Chinese films accounted for $3.7 billion (23.7 billion yuan), more than 59 percent of the total box office earnings for the year to date.
Pulitzer’s ‘Lookout on the Bridge’ vs. China’s ‘News Ethics Committees’
In a recent harangue on the imperative of better journalism, a website run by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department tore a...
China Box Office: 'Spectre' Has the Competition Shaken and Stirred
It took a while, but James Bond finally won over Chinese audiences as Spectre, the 24th film in the franchise.
A Journalist’s View on Reporting the China-Africa Story
The U.S.-based online news site Quartz is among a growing number of international media companies that is investing resources to better cover Africa. The company launched...
China to Tighten Limit on Foreign TV and Video Imports
Tighter licensing could further reduce amount of foreign content streamed in China.
China Is on Track to Surpass U.S. as World's Biggest Movie Market by 2017
Despite the recent economic slowdown in China, the country's film market is growing even faster than anticipated.
China Box Office: 'Ant-Man' Narrowly Wins Another Week
Marvel's "mighty" superhero Ant-Man continued to punch above its weight at the Chinese box office, winning a second consecutive week.
Xi’s State Visits As Seen on the Cover of ‘China Daily’
The state visits of Chinese Communist Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Washington, D.C. in September and London last week were both significant milestones in China’s long term “rejuvenation,” a key element in Xi...
Hong Kong Is the Happiest Place in China, According to WeChat Posts
Hong Kong is home to the happiest people in Greater China, closely followed by Taiwan, according to Tencent.
Hope and Fear in the Age of Asia
from Sinica PodcastThe West has spent decades pleading with China to become a responsible stakeholder in the global community, but what happens now that China is starting to take a more proactive role internationally? In this podcast, Kaiser Kuo and David Moser are...
Leaving China? Your books, Maps and DVDs May Be Confiscated
An odd thing happened when movers came to box up Ruth Kirchner's furnishings as she was preparing to return to Berlin after a decade in China.
Culture Shock: Chinese Ministry Slammed on Not-so-Social Media
Watch the country’s culture ministry get eviscerated on social media.
The Chinese Oscar Winner that Wasn’t
Wolf Totem is a spectacular film, but its soul is missing. That's just how Beijing wants it.
China Burnishes Xi Jinping’s Legend With TV Drama of His Years in Rural Hamlet
Chinese bloggers label 45-part drama called Liangjiahe as latest homage to omnipotent ‘Big Daddy Xi’.
China Tightens TV Censorship after Cleavage Controversies
New rules may require some Chinese shows to delay broadcasts by as much as six months.
In China’s State News Media, What Is Said May Not Be What’s Printed
An Australian journalist was misquoted as saying the people of Tibet had a “wonderful life.”
China Box Office: 'Lost in Hong Kong' Surges Past $200 Million
The film will soon surpass its predecessor, 'Lost in Thailand', which grossed $208 million in 2012, the most ever for a Chinese film at the time.
The News Media’s Mixed Record in Covering China-Africa Ties
News organizations from across Africa and around the world are devoting more resources to covering China’s engagement on the continent. The overall quantity of coverage has undoubtedly increased over the past decade. The key question, though, is...
Controversy Brewing Around China’s Oscar Submission
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke revealed that producers are lobbying for his latest feature, Mountains May Depart, to be submitted.