China’s official news agency said today it will begin offering a television service in Europe this week, in the country’s latest bid to project its “soft power” through an overseas media blitz. The state-run Xinhua news agency’s English-language service will launch in Europe starting tomorrow, Xinhua’s deputy editor Wu Jincai told AFP.
“The service will be on screens in supermarkets and in Chinese embassies in Europe too,” Wu said. Wu gave no further details but state media this year launched a global expansion, apparently aimed at shaping the communist-ruled country’s image, which is often negative amid concerns over human rights and its rising power.
After setting up French and Spanish channels ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China Central Television (CCTV) has also announced plans for Russian and Arabic channels this year. The Global Times, which is run by the Communist Party’s print mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, launched an English version earlier this year, while Xinhua and other Chinese media outlets are planning to expand their overseas bureaus.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper reported earlier this year that the government had earmarked 45 billion yuan (6.6 billion dollars) for the media makeover. Head of the new Xinhua service, Mi Ligong, told AFP it would provide news to “any interested parties.” “It is the same as other news agencies,” said Mi, general supervisor of the service. However, he would provide no further details on how the service would be rolled out, saying only it would feature video segments on “news, culture and finance in China and around the world.”
A spokeswoman at China’s foreign ministry declined detailed comment when asked about the plans. “It is quite normal for Xinhua’s news to be shown in Chinese embassies. It is Xinhua’s choice, according to their own business development plans,” she told AFP.
China’s increased spending contrasts with many other news organisations around the world that are battling the global economic downturn and the cost-pressures forced on them by the Internet. The chief of the Communist Party’s overseas propaganda bureau, Wang Chen, said in January that expanding the global reach of China’s media was an important way to engineer a better image for the country and its government. “We must… increase our capacity to broadcast, to positively influence international public opinion and establish a good image of our nation,” Xinhua quoted Wang saying at the time.
(Source: AFP)
