Xinhua News Agency

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Distinguish Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox company Template:Infobox Chinese Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, lit. 'New China'),<ref name="LPD3">J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English</ref> or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ministry-level institution of the State Council. Founded in 1931, it is the country's largest media outlet.

Xinhua is both a publisher and a news agency; it publishes in multiple languages and serves as a channel for distributing information related to the Chinese government and the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its headquarters in Beijing are located close to the central government's headquarters at Zhongnanhai, and its head, Fu Hua, is a member of the CCP Central Committee.

Xinhua tailors its pro-Chinese government message to the nuances of each international audience.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":7" /> The organization has faced criticism for spreading propaganda and disinformation as well as criticizing people, groups, or movements critical of the Chinese government and its policies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":3" />

History

Building of Red China News Agency in 1937

Xinhua News Agency's overseas flagship digital billboard in Times Square, 2014

Template:Politics of China The predecessor to Xinhua was the Red China News Agency (Template:Lang-zh), founded in November 1931 as the Chinese Soviet Zone of Ruijin, Jiangxi province. It mostly republished news from its rival Central News Agency (CNA) for party and army officials. The agency got its name of Xinhua in November 1935, at the end of the Long March, in which the Chinese Red Army retreated from Jiangxi to Shaanxi. By the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Xinhua's Reference News translated CNA news from the Kuomintang, and also international news from agencies like TASS and Havas. Xinhua first started using letterpress printing in 1940.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite book</ref>

During the Pacific War, the agency developed overseas broadcasting capabilities and established its first overseas branches.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref> It began broadcasting to foreign countries in English in 1944. In 1949, Xinhua followed a subscription model instead of its previous limited distribution model.<ref name=":5" /> In the direct aftermath of the Chinese Civil War, the agency represented the People's Republic of China in countries and territories with which it had no diplomatic representation, such as British Hong Kong.<ref name=":6" /> In 1956, Xinhua began reporting on anti-Marxist and other opinions critical of the CCP. In 1957, Xinhua switched from a journal format to a newspaper format.<ref name=":5" />

The agency was described by media scholars as the "eyes and tongue" of the CCP, observing what is important for the masses and passing on the information.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A former Xinhua director, Zheng Tao, noted that the agency was a bridge between the CCP, the government, and the people, communicating both the demands of the people and CCP policies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 2018, the United States Department of Justice directed Xinhua's U.S. branch to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2020, the United States Department of State designated Xinhua and other state-owned media outlets as a foreign mission.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Xinhua registered in the U.S. as a foreign agent in May 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2022, Fu Hua, a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and former CCP Committee Secretary of Beijing Daily, was appointed president of Xinhua.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2022, Fu stated, "Xinhua will never depart from the party line, not even for a minute, nor stray from the path laid down by General Secretary Xi Jinping".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Reach

By 2021, Xinhua had 181 bureaus globally, publishing news in multiple languages.<ref name=":8" /> Xinhua is also responsible for handling, and in some cases, censoring reports from foreign media destined for release in China.<ref>Charles Glasser. (2009). International Libel and Privacy Handbook: A Global Reference for Journalists, Publishers, Webmasters, and Lawyers. Bloomberg Press. Template:ISBN</ref> Xinhuanet is a publicly traded state-owned enterprise controlled by Xinhua News Agency, originally established as the agency's website.<ref name=":2" /> In 2010, Xinhua acquired prime commercial real estate on Times Square in Manhattan and started an English-language satellite news network.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2017, Xinhua founded China Fortune Media Group to expand its reach.<ref name=":2">Template:Citation</ref> Xinhua has paid other media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal to carry its advertorial inserts, branded as "China Watch" or "China Focus".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":9" />Template:Reference page

Internal media

The CCP's internal media system, in which certain journals (neican) are published exclusively for government and party officials, provides information and analysis which are not available to the public.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite news</ref> Xinhua produces reports for these internal journals that contain information that the CCP considers too sensitive for public consumption and can pertain to subjects for security and intelligence purposes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Xinhua maintains a traditional intelligence gathering function and its reporters file certain internal reports to the CCP leadership from secure rooms in some Chinese embassies.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":9" />Template:Reference page Informed observers note that journalists generally like to write for the internal publications because they can write less polemical and more comprehensive stories without making the omissions of unwelcome details commonly made in the media directed to the general public. The internal reports, written from a large number of countries, typically consist of in-depth analyses of international situations and domestic attitudes towards regional issues and perceptions of China.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Chinese government's internal media publication system follows a strict hierarchical pattern designed to facilitate party control. A publication called Reference News—which includes translated articles from abroad as well as news and commentary by Xinhua reporters—is delivered by Xinhua personnel, rather than by the national mail system, to officials at the working level and above. A three-to-ten-page report called Internal Reference (Neibu Cankao) is distributed to officials at the ministerial level and higher. One example was the first reports on the SARS outbreak by Xinhua which only government officials were allowed to see.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The most classified Xinhua internal reports are issued to the top dozen or so party and government officials.<ref>解密中国特色的“内参”：直抵政治局 能量巨大 Template:Webarchive. Sohu.</ref>

Headquarters and regional offices

Bureau in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Xinhua headquarters is located in Beijing, strategically located near Zhongnanhai, which houses the headquarters of the CCP, the General Secretary, and the State Council. Xinhua established its first overseas affiliate in 1947 in London, with Samuel Chinque as publisher. It distributes its news from the publication's overseas headquarters in New York City, in conjunction with distributing coverage from the United Nations bureau, as well as its other hubs in Asia, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

As of 2024, Xinhua has over 170 overseas bureaus.<ref name=":Curtis&Klaus">Template:Cite book</ref>

Hong Kong

Template:Main Xinhua's branch in Hong Kong was not just a press office, but served as the de facto embassy of the PRC in the territory when it was under British administration. It was named a news agency under the special historic conditions before the 1997 handover, because the People's Republic did not recognize British sovereignty over the colony, and could not set up a consulate on what it considered to be its soil.<ref>Template:Cite journalTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name=":1" />Template:Rp In the early 1980s, the deputy secretary of Xinhua, Wong Man-fong, negotiated with Hong Kong-based triads on behalf of the Chinese government to ensure their peace after the handover of Hong Kong.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Despite its unofficial status, the directors of the Xinhua Hong Kong Branch included high-ranking former diplomats such as Zhou Nan, former Ambassador to the United Nations and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, who later negotiated the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong.<ref>'Poet diplomat' Zhou Nan takes aim at Occupy Central Template:Webarchive, South China Morning Post, 16 June 2014</ref> His predecessor, Xu Jiatun, was also vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee, before fleeing to the United States in response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, where he went into exile.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

It was authorized by the special administrative region government to continue to represent the central government after 1997, and it was renamed "The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR" on 18 January 2000, retaining branch chief Jiang Enzhu as inaugural director.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cairo

Xinhua opened its Middle East Regional Bureau in Cairo, Egypt in 1985.<ref>New office building of Xinhua Middle East regional bureau opens in Cairo Template:Webarchive 2005/11/26</ref>

In Portuguese

Xinhua has a department in Portuguese since 2004. In 2016, they had 14 employees and launched a new portal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cooperation with other media outlets

In 2015, Xinhua and other Chinese state media outlets signed cooperation and content-sharing agreements with Russian state media outlets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In November 2018, Xinhua News Agency and the Associated Press (AP) of the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation. Some lawmakers in the U.S. Congress asked the AP to release the text of its memorandum of understanding with Xinhua. In response, AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton told The Washington Post that AP's agreement with Xinhua is to allow it to operate inside China and has no bearing on AP's independence, and that Xinhua has no access to AP's sensitive information and no influence over AP's editorial decisions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2022, journalist Joshua Kurlantzick said that Xinhua has had more success than other Chinese state media outlets such as China Global Television Network and China Radio International in acting as a part of China's media offensive, with Xinhua having signed content sharing agreements with many news agencies around the world.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> He noted that "unlike with, say, a television station that a viewer has to actively turn on, and probably knows the channel, most print or online readers do not check the bylines of news articles—making it easier for Xinhua copy to slip through to readers."<ref name=":8" /> He also noted: "In developing countries, Xinhua is increasingly stepping into the void left by other news wires like the Associated Press, because Xinhua content is free or cheap", and warned about Xinhua content being used by local news outlets in countries such as Thailand, saying: "Readers don't really notice where it comes from. That's going to skew the views of the general reading public, and that's quite dangerous."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Partnerships

In 2018, Xinhua, in partnership with Tencent's subsidiary Sogou, launched its first artificial intelligence-generated news anchor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Organization

The Xinhua News Agency has the following organizations:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Dispatched agencies

Domestic branches

Xinhua News Agency Shanghai Branch on Hengshan Road

Reporter stations

Reception

Overview

Political bias, censorship, and disinformation

In 2005, Reporters Without Borders called Xinhua "The World's Biggest Propaganda Machine", pointing out that Xinhua's president held the rank of a minister in the government. The report stated that the news agency was "at the heart of censorship and disinformation put in place" by the government.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In a 2007 interview with The Times of India, then Xinhua president Tian Congming affirmed the problem of "historical setbacks and popular perceptions" with respect to Xinhua's credibility.<ref>Q&A: 'Our credibility is doubted to a certain degree' Template:Webarchive, Times of India, 28 September 2007.</ref> Newsweek criticized Xinhua as "being best known for its blind spots" regarding controversial news in China, although the article acknowledges that "Xinhua's spin diminishes when the news doesn't involve China".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, Xinhua was slow to release reports of the incident to the public. However, its reporting in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was seen as more transparent and credible as Xinhua journalists operated more freely.<ref>Quake coverage 'testing China's media credibility' Template:Webarchive, Radio Australia, 16 May 2008</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Xinhua has criticized perceived foreign media bias and inaccurate reporting, citing an incident during the 2008 Tibetan unrest when media outlets used scenes of Nepalese police arresting Tibetan protesters as evidence of Chinese state brutality<ref>Commentary: Biased Media Reports Reveal Credibility Crisis Template:Webarchive, Xinhua, 26 March 2008</ref> with commentary from CNN's Jack Cafferty calling China's leaders "goons and thugs". CNN later apologized for the comments.<ref name="cnn">Template:Cite news</ref>

Historical events

1968 industrial espionage allegations

During the May 68 events in France, Xinhua and the PRC embassy press office staff were reported to exploit civil unrest to undertake industrial espionage at French factories.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>

1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

Xinhua staff struggled to find the "right line" to use in covering the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Although more cautious than People's Daily in its treatment of sensitive topics during that period – such as how to commemorate reformist CCP leader Hu Yaobang's April 1989 death and then ongoing demonstrations in Beijing and elsewhere – Xinhua gave some favorable coverage to demonstrators and intellectuals supportive of the movement. Conflict between journalists and top editors over the censorship of stories about the Tiananmen Square crackdown lasted for several days after the military's dispersal of demonstrators on 4 June, with some journalists going on strike and demonstrating inside the agency's Beijing headquarters. Government oversight of the media increased after the protests – top editors at the agency's bureaus in Hong Kong and Macau were replaced with appointees who were pro-Beijing.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

2012 Mark Bourrie resignation and espionage allegations

In 2012, Xinhua's Ottawa correspondent Mark Bourrie resigned after Ottawa bureau chief Zhang Dacheng allegedly requested him to report on the Dalai Lama for Xinhua's internal media, which Bourrie felt amounted to gathering intelligence for China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zhang denied the allegation, telling the Canadian Press that Xinhua's policy is to "cover public events by public means" and that his bureau's job is to cover news events and file the stories to Xinhua's editing rooms, which would then decide which stories would be published.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bourrie, who had a press pass providing him access to the Parliament of Canada, had previously tried to consult the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 2009 on the matter of writing for Xinhua, but was ignored by CSIS.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Portrayal of Indians during the 2017 Doklam standoff

Template:See also During the 2017 China–India border standoff, Xinhua's English-language new media program The Spark released a satirical video named the "Seven Sins of India" on 16 August 2017, in which presenter Di'er Wang spoke of Indians having "thick skin" and "pretending to sleep" on the matter of the border dispute. Wang stated that India was physically threatening Bhutan, and compared India to a "robber who breaks into a house and does not leave". An actor in the video portraying "India" with a turban, beard and accent sparked allegations of racism and anti-Indian sentiment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The video was criticized on Twitter and by Indian and Western media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2018 Devumi allegations

In January 2018, The New York Times published an investigative report on social media promotions, alleging that the US-based company Devumi was providing "Twitter followers and retweets to celebrities, businesses and anyone who wants to appear more popular or exert influence online." The article alleged that an unnamed Xinhua editor bought "hundreds of thousands of followers and retweets on Twitter".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2019 Hong Kong protests

Template:Further In 2019, Xinhua was criticized for perceived bias in its portrayal of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests as violent and illegitimate, which led Twitter to ban it and other state-sponsored media outlets from ad purchases.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

COVID-19 pandemic

Template:Further In 2020, Xinhua was one of several Chinese state media agencies reported to have been disseminating propaganda, targeted advertisements and social media posts, and news that showed the Chinese government in a better light.<ref name=":32">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, journalist Joshua Kurlantzick noted that Xinhua's coverage of the pandemic, while being "sometimes factual and on the face of it little different in style from other newswires, often downplayed the threat of the virus within China and to other countries", and that it frequently highlighted the efforts of doctors and citizens in combating the virus, while ignoring the ways China had initially covered up the signs of an outbreak and Chinese citizens' growing anger at the government's response.<ref name=":9">Template:Citation</ref>Template:Reference page

Uyghurs

In 2012, Xinhua launched a Uyghur language website.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Xinhua published a "fact check" following the publication of a BBC News report on the situation in Xinjiang, which, according to The Diplomat, "included an attempt to directly refute the testimony of one witness quoted in the BBC report. (Notably, Xinhua's fact check did not address the bulk of the testimony from other survivors.)"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Xinhua and other Chinese state media outlets paid for digital ads on Facebook supporting pro-Kremlin disinformation and propaganda, including the dissemination of the Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory, after Meta Platforms banned Russian state media advertisement buys.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2022 Chinese military exercises around Taiwan

During the 2022 Chinese military exercises around Taiwan, Xinhua published an altered image of a Taiwanese Chi Yang-class frigate near the coast of Hualien County, appearing to be a People's Liberation Army Navy vessel. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense labelled the image as disinformation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2025 India–Pakistan conflict

Following the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, the Twitter accounts of Xinhua and Global Times were blocked in India after both continuously published Pakistani claims of Indian military losses during the conflict.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While the block on the Twitter account of Global Times was lifted on the same day it was imposed, Xinhua's account continues to remain blocked in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Mass media in China
• Propaganda in China
• China Xinhua News Network Corporation
• Xinhua–Sogou AI news anchor
• China News Service

External links

• Template:Official website