Wednesday, April 11, 2018

China Daily Recuiting US Think Tankers to Influence China Policy?

Translations from a Chinese government document have surfaced which purportedly show that Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily has recruited scores of think tankers overseas to help portray China in a positive light.

Here is one unofficial translation:
Let China’s positive energy “go out” and consolidate and expand the team of overseas commentators. Through cooperation with the United States Bogleun Institute, Canadian Global Governance and Innovation Research Center, Australian think tank Lowy International Policy Institute and other think tank institutions, we have absorbed nearly 200 overseas think tanks as China Daily special commentators, over the past year Published more than 300 of their signature review articles, allowing these “influential people” to influence more overseas audiences and explain Chinese stories.

Obviously, the translation is not perfect.  For example, the "Bogleun Institute" is actually referring to the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute.

Here is the original document in Chinese, via the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).