Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING1066
2009-04-21 11:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

GLOBAL TIMES LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDITION,

Tags:  PROP PGOV PREL PHUM CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4975
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1066/01 1111101
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 211101Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3588
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001066 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2029
TAGS: PROP PGOV PREL PHUM CH
SUBJECT: GLOBAL TIMES LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDITION,
DENOUNCES OVERSEAS ANTI-CHINA BIAS IN A WHOLE NEW LANGUAGE

REF: BEIJING 905

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor
Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001066

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2029
TAGS: PROP PGOV PREL PHUM CH
SUBJECT: GLOBAL TIMES LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDITION,
DENOUNCES OVERSEAS ANTI-CHINA BIAS IN A WHOLE NEW LANGUAGE

REF: BEIJING 905

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor
Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) People's Daily President Zhang Yannong
presided over the official launch of the Global
Times English-language edition at an April 20
reception in Beijing. At the event, People's Daily
and Global Times editors told us the new English-
language publication would maintain the "patriotic"
editorial line of its successful Chinese edition,
though it would not shy away from reporting both
"good and bad" news about China. According to the
inaugural editorial, the paper, which will compete
head on with the government-published China Daily,
aspires to "deliver China's voice to the world."
Judging by the inaugural April 20 edition, the
English-language version is staying true to the
Global Times' propagandistic tradition of "exposing
Western anti-China bias" even where it does not
exist. End Summary.

"COMPLETE AND TRUE PICTURE OF CHINA"
--------------


2. (SBU) The Global Times, a newspaper published by
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flagship People's
Daily, launched its English-language edition April
20 with a glitzy reception hosted by People's Daily
President Zhang Yannong. The new edition's masthead
slogan, "Discover China, Discover the World,"
expresses the paper's ambition, stated in its
inaugural editorial, to be "one more channel (for
China) to deliver its voice to the world...(W)e
strive to reveal a complete and true picture of
China. We are dedicated to conveying the original
voices of the Chinese people."


3. (SBU) Global Times and People's Daily editors who
spoke to PolOff during the reception said the Global
Times English-language edition would be an outspoken
and interesting alternative to the staid China Daily
(which, prior to April 20, was China's only
nationally circulated English-language newspaper).
(Note: The Global Times' Chinese-language edition
is one of China's most commercially successful
tabloids thanks, in part, to its often jingoistic

slant. A Hong Kong journalist recently told us that
Global Times is one of the few papers in the world
that gets most of its income from subscription and
newsstand sales rather than advertising.) Global
Times International Forum Editor Wang Wen told
PolOff the English-language edition would maintain
the basic thrust of the Chinese-language version,
though he rejected any characterization of the paper
as "nationalistic." The Global Times English-
language edition would also put emphasis on its
editorials, which Wang promised would be more
outspoken than those found in China Daily.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE CHINESE SURVEYED PREFER STRONG NAVY
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) The inaugural edition of the English-
language Global Times certainly lived up to Wang's
claims. A front-page story announced the results of
a Global Times "online poll" that found "81.7
percent" of respondents wanted China to build a
"blue-water navy." Meanwhile, a page 8 op-ed,
consistent with the line of the Chinese-language
edition, denounced the Western media en masse for
reporting allegations of Chinese espionage:
"...this coverage is simply to create an anti-China
bias to legitimize the Cold War-era thinking the
Western media still employs."

GLOBAL TIMES DOES NOT SPEAK FOR PARTY
--------------


5. (C) Yin Shuguang, Associate Senior Editor and
Deputy Director for Foreign Affairs at the People's
Daily, stressed to PolOff that foreigners should not
view the content of the Global Times as "official,"
even though it was published by the Party's primary
mouthpiece. While the People's Daily directly
reflected the views of the CCP Central Committee,
Yin said, the Global Times in contrast was free from

BEIJING 00001066 002 OF 002


such political constraints. Yin, who preferred the
word "patriotic" to describe the Global Times'
editorial slant, promised that the English-language
Global Times would provide more and better coverage
of domestic news, including more "critical" (pi ping
xing) editorials on issues like corruption. Such
criticism of China was rarely seen in the China
Daily, Yin observed, adding that to build a credible
paper "you must report the good along with the bad."


6. (C) Note: Though only in its infancy, the
English-language Global Times had already received a
warning about too much negative news, according to
Global Times editor Wang Wen. A March 31 prototype,
which had a press run of just one thousand copies
for internal distribution, contained a story about
an ex-soldier jailed for filing a petition, a report
about corrupt officials sending ill-gotten gains to
family members abroad, and a feature on the book
"China is Unhappy" (Zhongguo Bu Gaoxing).
Immediately after the prototype was released,
minders from the Party Propaganda Department told
the Global Times to tone it down, Wang said. Wang
admitted that the editors had used the trial version
to push the envelope to see what would be
permissible.
PICCUTA