Established in 1952, China News Service (Zhōngguó Xīnwénshè, CNS) is the second largest state-owned news agency in China after Xinhua. The service targets Chinese overseas, particularly people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Media assets
News agency: China News Service (CNS)
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
CNS is fully funded from the Chinese government central budget, according to local journalists and experts.
CNS also runs the Global Chinese Media Cooperative Union (GCMCU) whose state goal is to enhance the overall level and influence of overseas Chinese media by promoting their cooperation with “mainstream” Chinese media, according to China Media Project. Those media are state-controlled media such as CNS, Xinhua, China Daily, CCTV, the People’s Daily, and many others. In its public statements, however, the GCMCU is openly stating that its mission is to promote the official agenda and interests of the Chinese Communist Party. A list of GCMCU’s members worldwide is presented on its website.
Source of funding and budget
CNS is run by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report.
Editorial independence
CNS operates in line with a set of editorial rules whose goal is to produce propaganda tailored for Chinese not living in the mainland. The agency has been widely criticized for its biased content, especially disinformation campaigns and propaganda aimed at the enemies of the Chinese government.
No statute establishing the independence of CNS (whose editorial agenda is explicitly designed to spread government propaganda to Chinese living overseas) has been identified. No independent assessment/oversight mechanism to validate the independence of CNS has been identified either.
October 2023