China News Service (Zhōngguó Xīnwénshè, CNS) was established in 1952 and is the second largest state-owned news agency in China, after Xinhua. The service’s primary audience is Chinese individuals residing overseas, with a particular focus on those in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Media assets
News agency: China News Service (CNS)
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in March 2024 have indicated that the CNS is operated by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Additionally, CNS oversees the Global Chinese Media Cooperative Union (GCMCU), which, according to the China Media Project, is designed to elevate the collective standing and impact of overseas Chinese media outlets by fostering collaboration with “mainstream” Chinese media entities. These media outlets are state-controlled, including CNS, Xinhua, China Daily, CCTV, the People’s Daily, and numerous others. In its public statements, however, the GCMCU explicitly asserts that its mission is to advance the official agenda and interests of the Chinese Communist Party. A comprehensive list of GCMCU members is available on the organization’s official website.
Source of funding and budget
Local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in March 2024 have confirmed that the CNS is fully funded from the Chinese government’s central budget.
Editorial independence
CNS operates in accordance with a set of editorial guidelines that are designed to facilitate the production of propaganda that is tailored to the interests of Chinese individuals who are not residing in mainland China. The agency has been the subject of considerable criticism for the bias of its content, particularly in the context of disinformation campaigns and propaganda directed towards those perceived as adversaries of the Chinese government.
No statute has been identified that establishes the independence of the Chinese News Service (CNS), whose editorial agenda is explicitly designed to disseminate government propaganda to Chinese individuals residing overseas. Furthermore, no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate the independence of CNS has been identified.
September 2024