Ambassador Cui Tiankai returns to China

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Main Link: Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai’s farewell message of deep feelings towards countrymen abroad ( 中国驻美大使崔天凯辞别侨胞深情寄语 )

Xinhua Newsagency, Washington, June 22 report. Cui Tiankai, having served as China’s ambassador to America for more than eight years, published a “farewell letter to all countrymen in America”, thanking the numerous countrymen in America for the care and support they had shown for his work. He also expressed his trust that they would continue to make active contributions to the promotion Chinese-U.S. relations that would develop in a healthy and stable way.

新华社华盛顿6月22日电 担任中国驻美大使8年有余的崔天凯21日在使馆网站发表《致全美侨胞的辞别信》，衷心感谢广大在美华侨华人对他工作的关心和支持，并寄语他们继续为促进中美关系健康稳定发展作出积极贡献。

Cui Tiankai said that from April 2013 until now, the more than eight years he had worked in America had passed in a blink of an eye. He would soon leave to return to China. “This was the longest term abroad in my career, allowing me to experience many historically significant events, getting to know enthusiastic and amicable friends, and leaving me with many unforgettable memories for life.”

崔天凯说，自2013年4月至今，他转眼在美国工作已8年有余，将于近日离任回国，“这是我外交生涯中最长的一次驻外任期，让我经历了很多具有历史意义的事件，结识了很多热情友好的朋友，也给我留下了很多终身难忘的记忆”。

He highly praised the countrymen living abroad, with emotional ties to their homeland, making unremitting efforts to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and connections of popular sentiments between China and the U.S., firmly speaking out for the unification of the motherland and the defense of national dignity. “I will always cherish the profound friendships I have built with all of you countrymen during my diplomatic mission in America.”

他高度赞扬侨胞们身居海外，情系桑梓，为促进中美互利合作和民心相通不懈努力，为促进祖国统一、捍卫民族尊严坚定发声，“我将永远珍惜出使美国期间与各位侨胞结下的深厚友谊”。

Cui Tiankai pointed out that during the 42 years that passed since the establishment of Chinese-U.S. relations, the two countries had achieved historic successes, and their interests had long become inseparably interconnected. By blending Chinese and Western advantages together, Chinese countrymen in America had long become envoys of people-to-people friendship and association. Chinese-American relations were currently at a critical juncture. American policies towards China were being restructured, facing a choice between dialog and cooperation or confrontation and clashes.

崔天凯指出，中美建交42年来，两国关系取得历史性成就，两国利益早已紧密交融。在美侨胞一直以融贯中西的优势，成为中美友好交往的民间使者。当前中美关系正处在关键十字路口，美国对华政策正经历新一轮重构，面临在对话合作和对抗冲突之间作出选择。

He said: “At this very moment, countrymen in America are shouldering a major responsibility and mission. I hope you will continue to be firm promoters of and contributors to healthy and stable development of Chinese-American relations, setting out from safeguarding your personal rights to exist and develop in America, setting out from protecting the fundamental benefits of our two countries’ peoples, setting out from the promotion of global peace and stability.”

他说：“此时此刻，在美侨胞肩负着更加重大的责任和使命，希望你们从捍卫自身在美生存和发展权益出发，从维护中美两国人民根本利益出发，从促进世界和平稳定和繁荣出发，继续做中美关系健康稳定发展的坚定促进者和积极贡献者。”

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Related

Keep it simple, June 24, 2011
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Jinan University Training: Striving to become Experts in Overseas united-front work

The following is a translation of the first three paragraphs of a release by the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification secretariat in Beijing, summarizing a training class at Jinan University early this month. Links within blockquotes were added during translation — JR.

Main Link: Training class for China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification secretariat cadres, student associations’ secretaries from all provinces, regions, and directly-administered municipalities and Huangpu Military Academy Association held at Jinan University (中国和平统一促进会秘书处干部和各省区市黄埔军校同学会秘书长涉侨业务培训班在暨南大学举办)

From December 1 to 6, cadres from the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification secretariat, student association secretaries from all provinces, areas and directly administered municipalities, and from Huangpu Military Academy Association, held a training class at Jinan University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, concerning Overseas Chinese services. 57 fellow students from all the nation’s provinces, autonomous regions, directly administered municipalities, Huangpu Military Academy’s student’s association and from this organization¹⁾ took part in the training. Jinan University president Song Xianzhong, vice president Zhang Hong, Jinan University International Relations Institute director Zhang Zhenjiang, party secretary Chen Bin and others individually attended the training session concerning Overseas Chinese services and the closing ceremony²⁾.

12月1日至6日，中国和平统一促进会秘书处干部和各省区市黄埔军校同学会秘书长涉侨业务培训班在广东省广州市暨南大学举办。来自全国各省、自治区、直辖市中国和平统一促进会、黄埔军校同学会及我会机关的57人参加培训。暨南大学校长宋献中、副校长张宏，暨南大学国际关系学院院长张振江、党委书记陈斌等分别出席涉侨业务培训班开班和结业式。中国和平统一促进会副秘书长宋为、韩晓光分别主持开班式和结业式。

China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification vice executive secretary Sun Lingyan gave the opening mobilization speech. He pointed out that the goal of the training was to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of secretary general Xi Jinping’s important exposition about Overseas Chinese services, and the 19th party central commission’s fourth plenary session³⁾, to comprehensively grasp the theory guidelines’ and policies’ principal methods, and to improve the working abilities and standards of Overseas Chinese services. He emphasized that the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, as a social group under the party’s leadership, dealt with anti-“independence” and pro-unification work and social-group work on Taiwan, and with broadly uniting compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. We must understand the new characteristics and changes of the work concerning the new era’s Overseas Chinese services, skillfully grasp the central committee’s theory guidelines and policies concerning Overseas Chinese services, and strengthen the abilities in ideological and political leadership. By learning and training, we must skillfully grasp the use of political theory, strengthen the scheming abilities, and improve problem-solving abilities. We must transform the enthusiasm coming from the remembering-where-we-started and keeping-the-mission-in-mind education into the practical action of doing one’s duties conscientiously, and strive to become experts in overseas united-front work.

中国和平统一促进会执行副秘书长孙凌雁做开班动员讲话。他指出，培训的目的是深入学习贯彻习近平总书记关于侨务工作的重要论述和党的十九届四中全会精神，全面把握侨务工作的理论方针政策和原则方法，提高涉侨工作能力和水平。他强调，中国和平统一促进会作为党领导下从事海外反“独”促统工作和对台工作的社会团体，广泛团结港澳台同胞和海外侨胞，推进祖国和平统一进程使我们的职责和使命，必须了解新时代侨务工作的新特点和新变化，必须熟练掌握中央关于侨务工作的的方针政策，增强做好思想政治引领的本领。要通过学习培训，熟练掌握运用政策理论的能力、增强谋划工作的能力和提高解决问题的能力，把“不忘初心、牢记使命”主题教育焕发出的政治热情转化为履职尽责的实际行动，努力成为海外统战工作的行家里手。

In the course of the training, everyone conscientiously listened to Guangdong provincial party committee United Front Department first-class floorwalker Lin Lin, Jinan University International Relations Institute director Zhang Zhenjiang, deputy institute director Chen Yiping, researcher Zhang Xiaoxin, and Professor Peng Weibu from Jinan University’s School of Journalism and Communication teaching China’s policies and work on Overseas Chinese services. [They were also taught about] China’s public diplomacy among Overseas Chinese under the new situation, and new insights about Overseas Chinese public sentiment, Chinese overseas propaganda work and the situation of Overseas Chinese people. [The participants] visited the [Guangdong] Overseas Chinese Museum, the 1911 Revolution Memorial Museum, the former Whampoa Military Academy Site, exchanged learnings and experiences, talked freely about their experiences, and made suggestions.

培训期间，大家认真听取了广东省委统战部一级巡视员林琳，暨南大学国际关系学院张振江院长、陈奕平副院长、张小欣研究员，新闻与传播学院彭伟步教授为大家讲授的我国侨务政策与海外侨务工作、新形势下中国侨务公共外交、海外涉侨舆情与中国外宣工作及海外侨情的新变化和新认识，参观了华侨博物馆、辛亥革命博物馆和黄埔军校旧址，并结合学习体会进行了座谈交流，畅谈了体会，提出了建议。

[…]

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Notes

¹⁾ This probably refers to the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification’s central / national office.
²⁾ As the training class reportedly went on for five days, “individually” probably means that the mentioned participants didn’t attend every hour of the sessions.
³⁾ This seems to refer to a decision taken on the current central committee’s fourth plenary session – published there by the Hunan Institute of Socialism.

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Double-Ten 2019: Tsai’s speech, Han’s white paper

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1. President’s speech

President Tsai Ing-wen’s national day speech is available

• • in Chinese and
  • in English

Among other issues, she rejected the “one country, two systems” concept advocated by Beijing.

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (2008 – 2016) and former vice president Lü Hsiu-lien (Anette Lü, 2000 – 2008) attended the event.

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Han Kuo Yu’s white paper

KMT presidential candidate (and Kaohsiung mayor) Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) gave a speech at a flag-raising ceremony in Kaohsiung on October 9.

Han has also announced a white paper concerning relations with mainland China. The KMT’s “92 consensus” (九二共識) is believed to feature prominently in Han’s policies (as it has in former president Ma Ying-jeou’s), and the paper is also excpected to state “the defense of the Republic of China’s sovereignty”, “under the precondition of “one China with different interpretations” (一中各表).

While the “92 consensus” has long been disputed in Taiwan anyway (including the question if Beijing actually ever recognized such a consensus, or if it has been a KMT fantasy all along), Beijing’s more recent demands – “one country, two systems” to include Taiwan – mean that either way, a KMT president would be at odds with Beijing, just as is the current Tsai administration.

RFA Report on a June-4 Commemorative Ham Radio Broadcast

The following blockquote is a translation of an article / news program by Radio Free Asia (RFA). Links within blockquotes were added during translation.

Main Link: RFA, June 5, 2017 – Democracy Movement People in South Korea carry out Commemorative June-4 Broadcast […]

Democracy movement activists in South Korea constructed a shortwave broadcasting station on Sunday [June 4], the 28th anniversary of the June 4 [incident], to broadcast the truth about June 4 to a wide range of Chinese listeners. This way, they evoked peoples’ attention and demanded the political rehabilitation of June 4.

周年的星期天架设短波无线电台，向广大的中国听众广播了六四真相。他们通过这种方式纪念六四，唤起人们的关注，并且要求平反六四。

Democrats led by the Democracy Party of China‘s South Korea branch hold some commemorative activities or meetings on every June 4, or distribute leaflets. However, since last year, they have felt all kinds of restrictions by South Korean police. They can understand the South Korean government and its hope that foreigners wouldn’t carry out anti-Chinese democracy movement activities within South Korea’s borders, but they cannot rule out that these kinds of restrictions may be caused by the Chinese embassy in South Korea.

以中国民主党韩国党部为首的韩国民运人士每年在六四都会举办一些纪念活动，或聚会纪念，或散发传单。但是，自从去年开始他们警感觉到韩国警察机构的各种限制。他们可以理解韩国政府，不希望外国人在韩国境内进行反对中国的民运活动，但是，无法排除这种限制受到中国驻韩使馆唆使的可能性。

To free themselves from South Korean police interference, Democrats in South Korea didn’t even give interviews with journalists this year, and secretly built a shortwave transmitter somewhere in South Korea, to broadcast to listeners in China. The broadcast said that “on June 4, 1989, in Beijing and China’s other major cities, repressive measures of unprecedented brutality occurred, with use of tanks and machine guns against defenseless students and patriotic citizens.”

为了摆脱韩国警察的干扰，韩国民运人士今年甚至没有接受记者的采访，以秘密行动的方式，在韩国某处架设无线短波电台，面向中国听众进行了广播。该广播说，“1989年6月4日的中国的北京及各大城市，发生了惨绝人寰的镇压行动，中共军队动用坦克机枪向手无寸铁的学生和爱国民众进行了残酷的镇压。”

Reportedly, the democrats used the popular amateur radio frequency of 7050 kHz to carry out a test transmission and reception tests, and then carried out their broadcast – all these combined took about one hour. The broadcast said that “on this particular day, we have set up a amateur radio station to broadcast the truth to a wide audience.”

据介绍，民运人士利用无线电爱好者最常用的7050千赫（kHz）频率进行广播测试，再经过国内的收听测试，然后进行广播，测试和广播一共进行了约一个小时。该广播说，“在今天这个特别的日子里，我们特设业余电台，向广大的听众播送真相。”

Although 28 years have passed, the democracy activists said that in their opinion, there was a need to commemorate June 4, as this was the starting point of Chinese democracy. Although trottled, the calls for democracy had since strengthened. One should not, because of the Chinese Communist Party’s meticulous concealments, leave the sacrifices for democracy wasted.

虽然已经经过了28个年头，民运人士表示，他们认为仍有必要纪念六四，因为这是中国民主的起始点，虽然遭到扼杀，但是要求民主的呼声却从此日渐壮大。不能因为中共的刻意掩盖，而让呼吁民主的牺牲付诸东流。

They commemorated the June 4 democracy movement and the victims with a broadcast, hoping that a wide range of listeners would be able to learn the truth about June 4, moving a step further in understanding the phony appearance of communist China’s ruling class. The broadcast said that “the lifespan of communist government is nearing its end, young friends, and hopefully, you will stand on the righteous side when the time for its tyranny has come to fall apart.”

他们通过广播纪念六四民运，缅怀六四的牺牲者，希望广大的听众能够了解六四的真相，进一步了解中共统治阶层的虚假面目。该广播说，“共产主义政府的寿数已尽，年轻的朋友们，当暴政崩溃的时候，希望你们能站在正义的一面。”

The broadcast also said that “CCP rulers, CCP accomplices, listen well: sooner or later, you will be exposed and criticized, and pay a bloody price.”

该广播还说，“中共的统治者们，中共的帮凶们，你们听好了，你们早晚要受到清算，你们早晚要付出血的代价。”

According to non-official statistics, there are about 800,000 mainland Chinese people in South Korea. Most of them only hold residence rights and need to keep their criminal records clean to obtain an annual extension of their right of residence. Therefore, although the South Korean branch of the Democracy of China has many members, they aren’t communicated publicly. For the above reasons, democracy activism in South Korea faces restrictions. The June-4 shortwave broadcasts are a courageous breakthrough in a restrictive environment.

据非正式统计，韩国境内约有万来自大陆的中国人。他们大部分只拥有居住权，需要维持无犯罪记录，才能获得每年的居住权延期。所以，中国民主党韩国党部虽然有众多党员，但是不对外公开其人数。由于以上的种种理由，韩国的民运活动受到限制。上述的六四短波广播是在受限的范围内的一次勇敢的突破。

Special correspondent: Liu Shui. Editor: Kou Tianli. Online edition: Guo Du.

特约记者：刘水 责编：寇天力 网编：郭度

CRI’s “Journalism” Talent Show: no Belief in Facts

The innovation experience described at the lianghui seminar in March 2014 wasn’t exactly new: one of the borrowed-boat reporters mentioned on the seminar by China Radio International‘s (CRI) Zhang Hui, “Andrea Yu”, apparently had an earlier appearance at a CCP-conducted press conference, in November 2012, on the last day of the 18th National Congress. A Guardian article published online on November 14, 2012, contains a link to a soundfile where an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) correspondent interviewed Yu.

Sina, apparently quoting or republishing a post from the Chinese Herald (澳洲日报) from March 2014, i. e. also from the 2014 two-sessions season, listed a question from “Louise”, also from CAMG, who asked a question to Zhou Xiaochuan (周小川), governor of China’s central bank.

A foreign correspondent apparently lost patience with the silly theater, and shouted: “Give foreign journalists a chance” (给外国媒体一个机会！)  As he was allowed to ask his question, he hastened to make it clear that he was a real foreign journalist. (Which is confirmed by the article.)

The Sina-published article also mentioned a sham reporter from a Hong Kong TV station, but of course, opportunities to speculate become endless under circumstances like these.

Maybe it’s just China Radio International’s talent show. Journalism it is not. But if you have little else to show for, cynicism may be the attitude of choice – and even a mould for “innovative” propaganda.

It’s not necessarily limited to China. According to the Kyiv Post in September this year, Ukraine-born journalist Peter Pomerantsev described the Kremlin’s propaganda as a truthless narrative:

“The Kremlin narrative,” he says, “now is that ‘there is no truth out there, and you’ll never find it; but go with us because our emotional content is more vital.” That promotes cynicism and “cynicism breaks down critical thinking” because at its root “is something quite medieval and emotional – a world of myths and storytelling.”

“When you don’t believe in facts,” Pomerantsev concludes, “you are just left with that.”

 

Innovative Guidance of Public Opinion: China Radio International’s “Independent Journalists”

On March 25, 2014, the Chinese Journalists Association held a seminar in the Association’s press room, according to an article published by the organization. Both the 2014 “National People’s Congress” (NPC), China’s alibi parliament, and the “Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference”,  had ended about two weeks earlier. The combination of the two is frequently referred to as lianghui (two sessions). The pattern of the seminar didn’t seem to stand out, it was about “implementing the party’s 18th National Congress’ and the 18th Central Committee’s third plenary session’s spirit”, exchanging or sharing experience made with innovative news reporting methods (交流两会新闻报道中的创新经验做法), and with new explorations in increasing the ability or skills of guiding the public (提高舆论引导能力方面所做的新探索).

The beginning was pretty ordinary indeed, if you go by the Chinese Journalists Association account. The deputy director of China Radio International‘s (CRI) central editorial office, Zhang Hui (张晖), provided the participants with lots of statistics:  the “two meetings” had been covered in 55 foreign languages, four national-minority languages, five Han dialects and in standard Chinese, with more than 620 headlines. In form of written pieces or by radio, CRI covered the meetings in 42,000 news items and in 3,800 background reports, using 7,600 photos in the process. Radio reports had been broadcast on shortwave, medium wave, and digital frequencies, covering 160 countries or regions worldwide, in more than fifty foreign languages, Han dialects, and in standard Chinese. According to yet incomplete statistics (by the time of the seminar, that is), CRI had, during the NPC and CPPCC sessions season, received more than 72,000 messages from overseas listeners in more than 160 countries or areas, by letter, telephone, fax, email, and texting.

Many interviews had been recorded, in many languages, with important people, such as the Serbian prime minister, ambassadors from Russia, Mexico, Columbia, Italy, Mongolia and sixteen more states, and foreign parliamentarians and other foreign visitors had conveyed their positive assessments of China’s achievements. A multi-medial approach had been taking all along the way, Zhang told the seminar.

So far, so traditional. And there were tons more of that. Somewhere along the way, Zhang Hui’s shared experience would have sent most foreigners to sleep. But there’s also that magical moment in a Chinese talk, somewhere, when things begin to become more important, and when a Chinese participant would wake up, heeding an intuitive sense of timing, and when he or she really starts listening, at least with one ear.

Zhang Hui  – according to the published record, anyway – had arrived at the innovative aspects of CRI’s lianghui coverage:

CRI brought foreign media forces into play, promoted the localization of production, of distribution, and interaction, put the leading role at the front into effect, and reported globally. 1. Localization leads production and broadcasting closer to the audience. During the past years, CRI has leaned on companies to increase the pace of the “go-out policy”. In the main cities of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea, Albania, and other countries, localization in research, production, distribution and in the work processes was achieved. Overseas media clusters played a particular role. An FM broadcaster in Lisbon transmitted a special program (“An ABC of the Sessions”), hot issues, guest interviews, foreign press reviews, etc.. An FM station in Bangkok transmitted the story of the two meetings in unceremonious language.

国 际台调动海外媒体力量，推进本土化制作、发布和互动，实现两会报道阵地前移、报道全球覆盖。1.本土化内容制播贴近受众需求。 近年来，国际台依托公司化运作加快“走出去”步伐，在泰国、老挝、柬埔寨、韩国、阿尔巴尼亚等多个国家的主要城市，实现了本土化采集、制作、发布和运营。 两会报道中，海外媒体集群发挥了独特作用。葡萄牙里斯本调频台播出特别节目《两会ABC》、热点问题、嘉宾访谈、外媒评论等。泰国曼谷调频台在《缤纷世 界》栏目中，以轻松活泼的形式讲述两会故事。

In “Studio 93” and similar programs of the FM station in Vientiane, Laos, officials, experts and academics were invited to a special program, to interpret the content of the two sessions. The program “Current Affairs in Chinese”, broadcast by the Albanian FM station, offered the main issues of the day by the “hot words from the two sessions”. CRI’s broadcasting stations with the CAMG media group in Melbourne, Auckland, Bangkok, Incheon, Colomb0, Kathmandu, Ulaanbataar, and other studios, arranged the news programs about the two sessions, organized the coverage mechanisms, and gave an example of the advantages of localization. The studio in Bangkok, through local hosts, in a familiar and effective fashion, gave explanations on [how] the two meetings [work].

老挝万象调频台在《93 播放室》等栏目中开设两会专 栏，邀请老挝官员、专家学者，解读两会相关内容。阿尔巴尼亚调频台在《时事汉语》节目中，开设“两会热 词”，关注当天热点。国际台环球凯歌公司下属的墨尔本、奥克兰、曼谷、仁川、科伦坡、加德满都、乌兰巴托等节目制作室，提前制定中国两会报道方案，建立健 全报道机制，彰显本土化传播优势。泰国曼谷节目制作室通过《泰中一家亲》栏目，由泰国本土主持人向受众解读中国两会，报道贴心，实效显著。

According to a Reuters report published early this month, CAMG Media is one of three foreign joint ventures co-run by China Radio International, or rather, by a 100 percent CRI subsidiary, Guoguang Century Media. Guoguang, according to Reuters, holds sixty percent in EDI media (North America), GBTimes (Finland), and CAMG Media Group (Melbourne), respectively.

Back to the Journalist Association’s seminar article on Wang Hui’s experience account:

2. International coverage localization operations abide by the broadcasting rules. CRI’s EDI Media in North America, GBTimes in Europe, CAMG Media in Australia, Global Iberia in Portugal, and other overseas companies dispatched nine reporters, in their capacities as [Update 20151117: overseas] independent reporters, to the two sessions, where they were positively active. Louise, Andrew and Michael as well as other reporters from CAMG, IBTimes, and EDI Media respectively, asked five questions [each?], to ministers and delegates, concerning property tax, environmental protection, economic growth etc. and achieved broad attention in domestic and foreign media. The nine reporters reported short commentary, blogs, miscellaneous, hot topics on social networks and photo stories [to their respective local or regional stations] and, speaking as borrowed foreign staff, told the Chinese narrative^*) well.

2. 国际化新闻运作遵循传播规律。国际台美国环球东方、欧洲环球时代、澳洲环球凯歌、葡萄牙环球伊比利亚等海外公司，派出9名记者以海外独立媒体记者身份 上会，积极活跃在两会会场内外。环球凯歌、环球时代、环球东方上会记者Louise、Andrew、Michael等分别就房产个税、环保治理、经济增长 等在记者会上向各位部长、人大代表提问达5次，受到中外媒体广泛关注。9名上会记者为海外媒体公司开设的网站和落地电台发回短评、记者博客、每日花絮、社 交媒体热议以及图片新闻等报道，实现了借用外籍员工之口和海外媒体平台讲好中国故事。[…]

The Reuters story of early this month isn’t clear about where the idea of “borrowed boats”, i. e. CRI-invested joint ventures abroad, grew first: if the overseas Chinese media entrepreneurs who partner with CRI or CRI themselves got the idea first. “Borrowed boat”, according to Reuters, is how CRI director general Wang Gengnian refers to the overseas outlets concept. Wang Hui, in her work report to the seminar, used the same term in March 2014. And at least one of CRI’s overseas partners, James Su Yantao, described on a media industry convention in 2008 in China how overseas outlets could offer China’s external propaganda advantages.  According to Reuters, EDI Media was founded in the following year, in 2009.
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Note

^*) Party and state leader Xi Jinping addressed the issue of telling a good Chinese narrative (讲好中国故事) on a central committee external work meeting on November 29, 2014, i. e. eight months after the China Journalists Association seminar described above. But the term is older; Hu Xijin, chief editor of Huanqiu Shibao, discussed the zhongguo gushi in 2013, and the leadership probably picked the concept from the usual circles of public-diplomacy expertise and academia.

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Related

» Borrowed Boats hit the News, Jichang Lulu, Nov 4, 2015
» Beijing’s covert Radio Network, Reuters, Nov 2, 2015
» Rumours about China Radio International, April 13, 2015

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Huanqiu Shibao Editorial: no CRI control over local U.S. broadcasters

Jichang Lulu, who is quoted in a Reuters report on China Radio International‘s (CRI) stake in media companies abroad, wrote a post about CRI’s “borrowed-boat” concept on November 4. The blogger (and book author) also disagrees with Reuters on some points, such as the number of “borrowed boats”. Also differently from Reuters, Jichang states that “localization” of official Chinese content can deviate to quite an extent from the official narrative, if it helps to win more credibility among the respective local audiences. The post also contains a link to a rather circuitous Huanqiu Shibao editorial, which reacts to Reuters’ reports, and also contains a swipe at critics of Confucius Institutes, and asks if China should be worried that Chinese students [Update, completed: … that Chinese students in America, Britain, or continental Europe could be brainwashed].

More to the point, in one line, Huanqiu Shibao also denied that there was CRI control over U.S. broadcasters:

Those local American broadcasting stations are not controlled by CRI, even according to Reuters’ disclosure, it [they?] just broadcasted CRI programs.

美国那家地方广播电台并没有受控于CRI，即使按照路透社的披露，它也只是播出了CRI的节目。

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Related

» Wang Gengnian’s little Sir Echo, Nov 13, 2015

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Borrow a Chicken, Produce an Egg*): Wang Gengnian’s Little Sir Echo

Closing remarks of James Su Yantao, speaking in his capacity as a CEO of a Los Angeles radio station, at the 2008 Radio Development Forum:

During the 59 years since the founding of the state, and especially since the thirty years since the the reform and opening up, huge events have unfolded. The actual strength of China’s economic and social development has increased more and more, the people’s standard of living and degree of culture have become higher and higher, and influence at home and abroad has become bigger and bigger. Especially during the tsunami of the global financial crisis and the depression these days, the “China fever” that is sweeping the world is just unfolding. Under the new circumstances, strengthening and improving China’s external propaganda, to build and advance China’s external image, to make China’s external propaganda and image match China’s economic and social development is undoubtedly necessary. On the continuously deepening foundations of Sino-American broadcasting cooperation, EDI also actively develops Chinese-language broadcasting cooperation with all locations across the globe, we have participated in the global simulcast activities of the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn traditional programs, held by China’s Central People’s Broadcasting Station, added this time’s frequency localization cooperation with China Radio International, joint productions with friendly stations, focusing on every [station’s] national and regional special issues, all with good results, and we wholeheartedly hope that in the future, through this cooperative platform of the Radio Development Forum and the Conference on Global Chinese Broadcasting Cooperation, to produce yet more top-quality programs to serve the broad audiences, to advance and enrich Chinese culture.

建国59年以来，特别是改革开放30年以来，中国发生了天翻地覆的变化。中国经济和社会发展的实力越来越强，人民的生活水平和文明程度越来越高，国内外的 影响力越来越大。尤其是在全球金融海啸和经济萧条的今天，席卷全球的 “中国热”更是方兴未艾。在新形势下，加强并改进中国的对外宣传，打造并提升中国的对外形象，使中国的对外宣传和对外形象与中国经济和社会的发展相适应、 相匹配，无疑是很有必要的。在不断加深中美广播合作的基础上，鹰龙传媒也积极开展和全球各地华语广播的合作，曾经多次参加过中国中央人民广播电台举办的中 国春节和中秋等传统节日的全球大型联播活动，再加上今次和中国国际广播电台的全频率本土化的合作以及曾经和一些兄弟友台连线制作，针对各自国家和地区专门 议题的专题节目，都取得了良好的效果，衷心希望未来在更多的领域，透过广播发展论坛和全球华语广播协作网这一合作平台，做出更多优质的节目服务广大听众， 弘扬中华文化。

The roots of Chinese culture are in China, and the overseas Chinese media are just branches, and only when the tree is strong and deeply rooted, the branches can grow well and in full blossom. Only when overseas Chinese media establish themselves well, they can play in concert with Chinese mainstream media, as good cultural links and as bridges of friendship. Herein lies the importance and far-reaching significance of this time’s Radio Development Forum and the Conference on Global Chinese Broadcasting Cooperation.

中华文化的根在中国，海外的华人传媒就是枝干，树强根深，枝干才能茁壮，叶才会茂盛。海外华人媒体只有努力建设好自己，才能配合中国主流广播媒体做好文化的纽带和友谊的桥梁，这就是此次广播发展论坛和全球华语广播协作会议举办的重要性和其深远意义之所在。

According to a story published by Reuters earlier this month, James Su, in his capacity as president and CEO of a company named G&E Studio Inc, leases airtime on at least fifteen U.S. stations, distributes China Radio International (CRI) programming, and produces and distributes original Beijing-friendly shows from its California studios.

It looks like a pretty secretive operation. Strangely enough, people who take offense from Western propaganda appear to think that there’s nothing wrong with borrowing a chicken to produce an egg (借鸡生蛋), as Guanchazhe (Shanghai) put it ten days ago. Or maybe they do see the problem, and that’s exactly why they try an undercover approach.

Similar airtime arrangements appear to exist in Europe.

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Note

*) Or, as Wang Gengnian, China Radio International’s director general, reportedly put it, borrow a boat.

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Related

» Earnest Expectations, May 23, 2015
» Skeletons in the Cupboard, Sept 23, 2014
» RSF and Congressman demand Sanctions, Aug 29, 2014
» Global Field Media company, Nov 30, 2013
» Ambassadors abroad, May 25, 2012
» Be more Xinhua, Oct 10, 2009