The New York Times has a story today about the overseas expansion of Chinese media. It focuses on the growing influence of Chinese television and radio in Africa, but the story also mentions China’s media-led spread into countries like Venezuela and the US. China Central Television News, the most influential company, also has a new Arabic-language channel, the story reports.
For more background on China’s push to expand its media reach around the globe, check out “Sino the times,” a story from CJR’s May/June 2012 issue. Sambuddha Mitra Mustafi visited CCTV headquarters in Beijing and spoke to Liu Ge, the chief editor of its division, about the company’s unapologetic political aims. “No media is without agenda,” she said. “If you look at BBC or CNN, they won’t harm their national interest. So you cannot expect CCTV to go against Chinese interests.”
Kira Goldenberg was an associate editor at CJR from 2012-2015. Follow her on Twitter at @kiragoldenberg.