Over the past week, there’s been a noticeable increase in the frequency of media coverage on both online news sites and state-run channels in China about the burgeoning conflict in Ethiopia. It does not appear that these news outlets have many, if any, resources on the ground to cover the story, so a lot of the reporting features input from think tank analysts and highlights from international news agencies like Reuters, BBC and Tass among others.
What’s interesting though is how the coverage, even on non-official news sites like the immensely popular Observer (观察者), seamlessly conforms to and reinforces Beijing’s official positions on the conflict. They also give voice to many of China’s longstanding grievances towards the United States.
