Guangdong Xin Wenhua is a commercial entity under the aegis of the Liaison Office, the political office of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong. The group oversees a diverse portfolio of businesses, including printing services, retail, wholesale, and publishing. It also oversees several media outlets, including the newspapers Ta Kung Pao (founded in 1902) and Wen Wei Po (founded in 1948), the magazines Bauhinia and Knowledge Magazine, and the news portal Orange News.
Local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2023 have also indicated that Hong Kong Commercial Daily is operated by the Liaison Office.
Media assets
Publishing: Newspapers- Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong Commercial Daily (HKCD); Magazines- Bauhinia, Knowledge Magazine
News portal: Orange News
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
A series of reports have revealed that Guangdong Xin Wenhua is owned by the Liaison Office, which is the official political bureau of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong. These ownership links have been concealed for an extended period.
Source of funding and budget
Guangdong Xin Wenhua does not disclose financial performance information. While the company’s media outlets do accept advertising, Hong Kong-based journalists and industry experts interviewed for this report in May 2023 and June 2024 allege that Beijing is channeling state funds to these outlets through its local liaison office. Nevertheless, there is no evidence to suggest that these funds represent more than 50% of the outlets’ annual budget.
Editorial independence
The media outlets run by Guangdong Xin Wenhua are recognized by local journalists and experts as vehicles for disseminating Chinese government propaganda in Hong Kong. This characterization has been documented in various media reports and NGO studies.
In recent years, as the Chinese authorities have become more assertive in suppressing dissent in Hong Kong, the editorial stance of these outlets has become increasingly biased. There has been a proliferation of criticism directed at independent media outlets and journalists, as well as the dissemination of misinformation with the intention of discrediting individuals and entities perceived as adversarial towards China.
No domestic statute or independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of the media outlets controlled by Guangdong Xin Wenhua has been identified.
September 2024