(1/3) When China Daily released a video depicting the Philippines as a frightened monkey, shoved onto a stage by giant hands holding US and Japanese flags, Manila protested fiercely, calling it racist and demeaning.

Read more on Hong Kong authorities' collaboration, which has been a common practice in China, with the media on the national security push on our Lingua Sinica Website. Make sure to subscribe to our Substack too! lingua-sinica.org/hong-kongs-s... substack.com/@linguasinic...

WEEKLY UPDATES FROM CMP! Read and subscribe to our Lingua Sinica Newsletter! substack.com/inbox/post/2...

When China’s flagship official newspaper introduces a dating app and starts hosting singles mixers for troops and government workers, you know the demographic issue has entered a new phase.

Swipe Right for the Motherland - Lingua Sinica

When China's flagship official newspaper introduces a dating app and starts hosting singles mixers for troops and government workers, you know the demographic issue has entered a new phase.

lingua-sinica.org

At Lingua Sinica, @daliaparete.bsky.social interviews Emeka Umejei about his new book on PRC media partnerships in Africa and the training programs that China conducts for local journalists, enlarging its footprint and taking over space abandoned by Western media organizations.

We Thought We Were Going to Learn About Journalism - Lingua Sinica

African journalists flock to Chinese training programs expecting to learn their craft. What they get instead is sightseeing, subtle pressure — and a debt of gratitude, says author Emeka Umejei.

lingua-sinica.org

As Greece deepens its ties with China, from Piraeus port to Belt and Road, expert Plamen TOnchev sits down with Lingua Sinica to examine how content deals, diaspora outlets, and polished influencers are quietly shaping the country's information landscape. lingua-sinica.org/borrowing-bo...

Borrowing Boats in Greece - Lingua Sinica

From content-sharing deals with major broadcasters to diaspora media linked to the PRC party-state, China has built a layered media presence in Greece that exploits a fragmented landscape weakened by ...

lingua-sinica.org

Big news on the transnational repression beat: RightsCon, the world's biggest digital human rights conference, has been CANCELED just days before it was set to begin in Lusaka, Zambia. The government of Zambia — which signed an agreement with China on April 24 — canceled it:

As Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez makes his fourth visit to Beijing in four years, scholar Shiany Pérez-Cheng, sitting down with Lingua Sinica, examines how media partnerships and China-affiliated groups have shaped the country's information. lingua-sinica.org/an-open-door...

An Open Door for China's Media in Spain - Lingua Sinica

As Spain's prime minister wraps up his fourth visit to Beijing in just over three years, Lingua Sinica sits down with Shiany Pérez-Cheng to examine another side of the relationship — how media partner...

lingua-sinica.org

TW: Sexual violence "In a patriarchal society, she lives in a constant state of unconscious fear, in both daylight and nighttime, fueled by daily gendered experiences... and news of sexual violence committed by men, particularly from the military, police & government officials"

What Makes A Woman “Rape Material"? — Insight Myanmar

Myanmar’s war on women reveals patriarchy, impunity, and systemic sexual terror.

insightmyanmar.org

China's consulate in Strasbourg pressured a French theater and city officials to cancel a Taiwanese play that simulates the opening of a Taiwanese embassy. The theater didn't budge. Read the latest from Lingua Sinica: linguasinica.substack.com/p/the-play-c...

The Play China Didn't Want Strasbourg to See

When China's consulate pressured a theater in France to cancel the Taiwanese production "This Is Not an Embassy," it proved the play's point more vividly than any performance could.

linguasinica.substack.com

New Intersections is live! This month: China tells women having babies is a patriotic duty; Bu Xiaohua's captor walks free; young Chinese women are quietly doing the math on marriage; and Taiwan's Gen Z women are learning the price of speaking up. Read here: linguasinica.substack.com/p/chinas-pro...

China's Pro-Natalist Propaganda Machine, the Case That Disappeared After the Hashtags, and Taiwan's Gen Z Women

These stories and more — including a journalist's AI child experiment to sidestep China's marriage pressure, and young Chinese women weighing the costs of motherhood — in the latest Intersection.

linguasinica.substack.com

"Yang’s case raises serious questions about how state media from the People’s Republic of China operate in Europe and how European governments should respond."

China Media Project@chinamediaproject.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The first charge under a new Czech security law tests where foreign state journalism ends — and intelligence work begins. lingua-sinica.org/journalists-...

“RTHK has now fully retreated from its public mission. Far from defending editorial independence, its executives bow to officials in Beijing, surrendering RTHK’s once-proud commitment to impartial journalism for Hong Kong audiences in favor of state narratives” lingua-sinica.org/letters-from...

Letters From a Party Broadcaster - Lingua Sinica

The closure of longstanding debate programs at public broadcaster RTHK signals a retreat from editorial independence — as the network openly aligns with China’s party-state media.

lingua-sinica.org

While the West celebrates a new cultural watershed in male romance, Boy's Love has been a mature, multi-billion dollar industry across Asia for decades. linguasinica.substack.com/p/heated-riv...

Heated Rivalry, Meet Asia's BL Industry

While the West celebrates a new cultural watershed in male romance, Boy's Love has been a mature, multi-billion dollar industry across Asia for decades.

linguasinica.substack.com

1/4 New from @rferl.org.web.brid.gy on Afghanistan's media landscape has collapsed since the Taliban takeover. Hundreds of outlets shut down, thousands of journalists lost work. But Chinese state media is thriving—and it's strategic. Here's what's happening 🧵 www.rferl.org/a/china-tali...

China Expands Its State Media Footprint In Taliban-Run Afghanistan

China has significantly expanded its media presence in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, with Afghan journalists saying Chinese outlets are producing content that highlights Beijing’...

rferl.org

"Are You Dead Yet?" just became China's #1 app. The name sparked heated debate—but 125 million people living alone might need it anyway. lingua-sinica.org/are-you-dead...

Are You Dead Yet? - Lingua Sinica

A daily check-in app sparks debate over sensitivities around death in China while grappling with the country's growing crisis of solo-living and related safety concerns.

lingua-sinica.org

The latest feature, written by Xiao Bing, from our colleagues doing great work over at Tian Jian (田間). linguasinica.substack.com/p/chinas-inv...

At Lingua Sinica, @daliaparete.bsky.social talks with journalist Nop Vy about the increased pressure on media in Cambodia since 2017, how Cambodia Journalists Alliance Association presses on, and the role of citizen reporting in making positive changes happen despite restrictions.

Reporting Under Pressure in Cambodia

Journalist Nop Vy discusses press freedom's decline since 2017, the risks facing independent outlets, and Chinese influence over information access.

linguasinica.substack.com

1/3 Chinese drama "Summer Rose" hit 3 billion views in 8 days. Beautiful cinematography, symbolic imagery, and a gentle male lead who seems to be the ideal partner to ask for. Sounds progressive, right?

Intersections newsletter is out! We look at internalized discrimination in Taiwan's gay community, Hong Kong's growing voyeurism crisis, China's "sweet economy" marriage vouchers, and much more. Read here: linguasinica.substack.com/p/chinas-wom...

China's Women's Rights Lawyers, a Short Drama Phenomenon, and Taiwan's Pride

These stories and more — including a Taiwanese actress's directorial debut addressing domestic violence — in this latest edition of the Intersections bulletin.

linguasinica.substack.com

Our Chinese-language sister publication Tian Jian (田間), specializing in reporting on issues related to global Chinese-language media, just went live with their website. Check it out here: tian-jian.org

2/2 Don't miss Intersections—our Lingua Sinica bulletin spotlighting marginalized communities in Chinese media. Women's rights, queer voices, disability issues & more. Subscribe today: linguasinica.substack.com

Lingua Sinica | Substack

News, analysis, and commentary on Chinese-language media from the PRC and beyond. Click to read Lingua Sinica, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

linguasinica.substack.com

1/2 A must-read report from MERICS on how China is navigating its low birth rate—with early input from CMP's @daliaparete.bsky.social merics.org/en/report/wh...

When giving birth is a national duty: Beijing’s struggle to reverse demographic decline

Key findings The Chinese leadership faces unique challenges to sustainable population growth. The legacy of the One-Child Policy is proving difficult to reverse, and stubborn systemic factors are equa...

merics.org

After a 10-year hiatus, Malaysia's Dato' Seri Lee Tian Hock Journalism Awards returned, honoring Chinese-language reporters amid calls for AI ethics guidelines, copyright protections, and news payment systems to sustain quality journalism in the digital age. lingua-sinica.org/awards-return/

Awards Return - Lingua Sinica

After a decade-long hiatus, Malaysia's Dato' Seri Lee Tian Hock Journalism Awards recognized Chinese-language media excellence amid industry challenges.

lingua-sinica.org

What does journalism education look like when the profession exists to maintain regime stability rather than hold power accountable? China's latest national journalism forum reveals a system designed to ensure Party control flows seamlessly from classroom to newsroom. bit.ly/474nY4D

Molding the Message - China Media Project

A forum held at a leading university in Beijing over the weekend shows how China's leadership keeps tight control over journalism — from the classroom to the newsroom.

chinamediaproject.org

1/3 The focus today at the Global Leaders' Meeting in Beijing was supposed to be women. But Xi Jinping and the Party were the real focus. What has actually changed for Chinese feminists since 1995? Read on.

1/3 Last June, in one of China’s latest moves into Uganda’s media space, the “Love Beijing Night” audiovisual initiative launched—broadcasting Chinese TV dramas packed with CCP narratives. All documented at our Lingua Sinica platform: bit.ly/46QJpGg

China and Uganda Launch Audiovisual Initiative - Lingua Sinica

The Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau (北京市廣播電視局), under the local city leadership of the CCP, and Uganda’s Vision Group jointly hosted the “Love Beijing Night” cultural exchange event in K...

bit.ly

This month's Intersections newsletter is out! We look at harassment allegations in Taiwan's entertainment industry, a controversial campus birth in China that sparked national debate, and Hong Kong's rejection of same-sex marriage recognition. Read here: linguasinica.substack.com/p/power-hara...

1/4 While you were scrolling, China was busy... Aug 31: Xinhua-Azerbaijan media deal; Sept 7: 120+ diaspora media attend the 12th World Chinese Forum, Kunming; Sept 10: Cross-strait symposium, Shenyang. All tracked on our Lingua Sinica platform: lingua-sinica.org

“There was a common understanding that male reporters could drink with these officials until they became like sworn brothers — after some chest-thumping and shoulder-patting, they might receive news tips or key documents.”

China Media Project@chinamediaproject.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Veteran journalist Li Sipan reflects on feminism’s struggle within China’s liberal media, the rise and suppression of Women Awakening Network, and journalism’s transformation under tightening censorship. chinamediaproject.org/2025/09/19/c...