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

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...

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/

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

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

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.”

Curious to know how Chinese-language media are engaging in Kenya? Here's a recent example of a content-sharing agreement. To learn more, visit our new website Lingua Sinica: lingua-sinica.org

Is Xi’s Grip Holding? Despite speculation about the waning media presence of China’s top leaders, our study of headlines in the People’s Daily suggests his dominance remains largely intact. chinamediaproject.org/2025/06/26/i...

The authoritarian actions of the Trump administration have added jet fuel to one of the Chinese Communist Party’s most enduring external propaganda frames — that the United States is fundamentally hypocritical when it comes to rights and freedoms. chinamediaproject.org/2025/06/16/a...

How is language important? Media expert Sriparna Pathak discusses how China sponsors Indian journalists to visit Tibet, who return calling it "Xizang." The terminology normalizes not just China's sovereignty over Tibet but also Chinese territorial claims in dispute with India.

A Chinese state television exposé last month claimed to unmask exploitative dating apps, but it also exposed how cyclical media campaigns serve official narratives in China’s tightly controlled information landscape. chinamediaproject.org/2025/05/13/p...

In the wake of a deadly boat accident, state media have moved to control the narrative, following a playbook created in 2008. But one Shanghai news source broke ranks with a story that raised uncomfortable questions about negligence and ignored safety warnings. chinamediaproject.org/2025/05/07/b...

Two years ago, I heard that Taiwan's govt had unearthed surveillance files from the secret police of its authoritarian era. They were finally becoming open to the public, nearly four decades after Taiwan's democratisation. I wanted to see what was inside: www.economist.com/1843/2025/05...

One in three South Korean women have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once during their lifetime, a government survey showed. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...

Our April Intersections bulletin is out! We explore Netflix's "Adolescence" impact in Taiwan, China's shifting views on sexual consent, grassroots feminism in small cities and much more!

The latest edition of the Lingua Sinica newsletter is out. Lots to soak in, from Chinese combatants in Ukraine to tariffs — and even otherworldly inflation in the world of "fake ghost money." linguasinica.substack.com/p/lingua-sin...

“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. “ www.harvard.edu/president/ne...

The story is up on the China Media Project website too: chinamediaproject.org/2025/04/10/t...

China's leadership has launched another round of anti-corruption campaigning. But its use personal shaming and action posing is a reminder that this is about political theater and loyalty tests, not about real institutional reform. chinamediaproject.org/2025/04/10/c...

If you want to know more about how the #MeToo movement has influenced journalism in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, read the translation of my brilliant colleague Hsiao Fan's article.

"The Narrowing of China"—my review for WSJ of the excellent new book by @emilyzfeng.bsky.social that details how Xi Jinping's Party-state attempts to control Chinese identity.

Interesting that terms like this are appearing--there's the term "feminist buffet" (女權自助餐) to claim that feminism is a pick-and-choose logic in Taiwan in past years. Anyway, sign me up for "women's fist-ism" anyday

Intersections is out today for all to read! To support our team's work on intersections and keep it free for most, consider becoming a paid subscriber to Lingua Sinica; we have a 10% discount for all subscribers until the end of the month! Click here: linguasinica.substack.com/march2025spe...

Here is a fundraiser for people affected by the dismantling of USAGM, including those working for VOA, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund secure.givelively.org/donate/usagm...

A Gen Z content moderator working for a major Chinese internet platform reveals the moral contradictions of deleting sensitive political content. Translation of this superb Mang Mang interview was by CMP in cooperation with ChinaFile and China Digital Times. chinamediaproject.org/2025/03/19/s...

Had an amazing conversation with Giulia Pompili on the media relationship between China and Italy. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand China's sophisticated media influence operations in Europe!

Read our new @chinamediaproject.bsky.social dictionary entry on "Community with Shared Future in Cyberspace," Xi's vision for internet governance prioritizing state sovereignty as China's alternative to Western digital models. chinamediaproject.org/the_ccp_dict...

Women journalists face unique threats based on their gender. From workplace discrimination to digital abuse, their safety must be prioritised. Our guidelines help civil society integrate a feminist approach to journalist protection. Learn more: article19.org/equally-safe/ #IWD2025

On International Women's Day, are we surprised that China Women's News (中国妇女报) featured Xi—as head of the Central Military Commission—on the front page (A1)?

The latest edition of Intersections is out! This month, I look at women's exhibitions in Taipei, HIV stigma awareness in Taiwan, mental health conversations in China, and LGBTQ+ rights challenges in Hong Kong. Check it out! linguasinica.substack.com/p/intersecti...

Link to the report:

The latest edition of our Lingua Sinica newsletter is live. This week, we look at the passing of a Taiwanese TV icon, "decentralizing" Hong Kong's court records, a new research center to ensure PRC micro-drama dominance, the old LNY versus CNY argument, and much more. Read it and subscribe here ⬇️

This month, a viral video of a staged blind date intrusion during the Spring Festival holiday sparked outrage on Chinese social media, becoming a cautionary tale about the dangers of fakery for entertainment.

The latest edition of our Lingua Sinica newsletter is out. This week, we cover how historic budget cuts could affect media in Taiwan, why Hong Kong authorities are cracking down on pollsters, a questionable new media course in Singapore, the Spring Festival crackdown on China's internet, and more.

A forum in Bangkok this month underscored China’s ambition to work with local partners in Southeast Asia to impact public opinion there. A closer look at one of the propaganda vehicles meant to accomplish this goal suggests carelessness reigns down below such high-level exchanges.

A slur for transgender women still used in China’s state-run media, and rarely elsewhere in Asia, renyao (人妖) is often translated as “tranny” or “ladyboy.” In Chinese, the pejorative sense is even clearer — literally meaning “human monster.” Learn more in the latest entry in the CMP Dictionary ⬇️

As American TikTok users seek asylum on China’s RedNote (小红书) — and glee ensues from commentators in the world’s most restricted internet environment — the lines of repression in the promised land are quickly revealing themselves.