Category: Media
The Iranian Elections through the Lens of Chinese Media
By Giorgia Facchini On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and five other passengers died in a helicopter crash. This unexpected event sent political shockwaves across Iran and the world as Raisi was not only one of the main architects ...
Who Gets to Tell the Africa-China Story?
So much of the framing of Chinese engagement in Africa is done through the prism of Western media, academia, government, and civil society. Stories about debt traps, malign influence, and exploitation are all firmly embedded in the larger discourse about Africa's ...
Philippines, Sinovac React to U.S. Vaccine Disinformation Campaign
Both the Philippines government and Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac reacted angrily to news that the United States military engaged in a prolonged disinformation campaign to discourage the use of Chinese vaccines in the Southeast Asian country at the height of the pandemic.
Chinese-Language Media Abuzz Over Rumors Huawei is Now China’s Largest Beef Importer Thanks to Argentina
Reports are circulating on mainstream media outlets in both China and Taiwan that Huawei has become China's largest importer of beef that it sells online with other agricultural products. Chinese netizens were seemingly puzzled by the reports that not only appeared on ...
No, Brazil is Not Targeting Chinese E-Commerce Trade With a 20% Tarrif
News has been circulating online for the past week that Brazil passed a law purportedly imposing a steep tariff on low-cost imports, specifically targeting goods purchased on Chinese e-commerce sites like Shein. According to the German news agency Deutsche Welle: ...
France lifts TikTok Ban in New Caledonia as Calm Returns
French authorities on Wednesday said they had lifted a ban on TikTok in New Caledonia, which they suspect is fueling recent unrest in the French Pacific territory. The move came after a state of emergency in New Caledonia ended on Tuesday, ...
Ruto’s Visit to Washington Provokes Some Highly Misleading Media Narratives About Chinese Debt
Kenyan President William Ruto met his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, marking the first African state visit in 16 years. Although Kenya's burgeoning debt crisis was widely expected to be high on the agenda, that ...
Serbian Media on Xi Jinping’s Visit to Belgrade
In this edition of the ChinaMed Observer, we analyze the Serbian media debate on relations with China on the occasion of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Belgrade. By Anja Duvnjak and Leonardo Bruni ...
Why It May Be Premature to Trust Nigerian, Kenyan Media Reports on New Chinese Railway Funding
A word of caution about a flurry of headlines circulating in the Kenyan and Nigerian press this week claiming that China has committed to spending billions of dollars on new railway projects in both countries. Something just doesn't sound right about these stories. It's interesting ...
Why Did France Ban TikTok in Pacific New Caledonia?
France has taken the dramatic step of blocking TikTok in its Pacific territory of New Caledonia as part of efforts to quell days of violent unrest. It is the latest clash between democratic governments and the Chinese-owned social media platform.
French Journalist Surprised to Hear Congo President Says He Prefers Dealing With Russia and China Over the West
French journalist Darius Rochebin seemed genuinely surprised when Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi stated in a recent interview that he and other African leaders prefer to work with Russia and China over Western democracies. Rochebin, one of francophone ...
Video of Chinese Man Whipping Two African Young People Goes Viral
A horrifying video of a Chinese man brutally whipping two young men appeared online late last week and quickly went viral, racking up more than 30 million views on X and other social media platforms. While the clip was widely seen and ...