Chinese state media have criticized Beijing for calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a "selfish child" and a visit to Taiwan destined to be "torn by history." I have written dozens of articles about US politicians. Over 30 years.
Pelosi's coverage of her early August visit to Taiwan shows how China's state media reflects Beijing's worldview on everything from war-torn independence to human rights abuses. is highlighted.
From domestic trips by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders to visits by international leaders, every official visit brings its own level of uncertainty and propaganda value to Beijing. says a scholar who specializes in Chinese media.
But high-profile visits by foreign media and governments are likely to be seen as opportunities to shape narratives about issues that are core to the Chinese government, says a Chinese news media specialist at Iowa State University. Professor Jonathan Hassid said.
"They can be a very powerful propaganda vehicle," he told his VOA.
State media reports not only attempt to glorify or legitimize the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping, but can also counter more critical coverage by foreign media, Hassid and others said. experts said.
A US-based professor who specializes in Chinese propaganda said a visit by a foreign leader like Pelosi would be very uncertain for Beijing.
However, they also offer relatively high propaganda value. Because with extra care, "the propaganda value of these trips is actually higher than a well-planned trip to Xinjiang or Hong Kong," she said. The East Coast-based academic requested anonymity out of concern for the safety of himself and his family in China.
On domestic visits by some Chinese Communist Party officials, Beijing has allowed access to its media to be restricted, but even that is a "highly organized and controlled said an employee of the Chinese state media.
The China-based editor spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
"Only in such cases can I report the government's position on this issue," she wrote in her message to VOA. "This is particularly important as it affects the government's reputation on the global stage."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to her VOA email requesting comment. rice field.
"Between the Threshold"
With China's 20th National Congress set to take place in the coming months, President Xi We plan to secure a third term.
His trips to Xinjiang in July and to Hong Kong in June helped send a message to the country's political elite, according to an anonymous professor.
"Taking these trips is a way of confirming his power. A sort of victory lap to show how effective he was as a national leader in these areas." She told his VOA.
A state media employee agreed. “[My outlet] wants to portray a good and epic image of Xi in its coverage, which will certainly come true as state media are only allowed to report official lines.” She told VOA.
The visit to Xinjiang by President Xi and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is only a way for Chinese state media to push certain narratives about the normalcy of Xinjiang. Instead, it showed how Beijing tightly controls access for foreigners. journalist.
Foreign journalists learned of President Xi Jinping's first visit in eight years by reading Chinese media reports that focused on the details of the visit.
State media coverage of Xi's visit did not include criticism of Chinese policies or the mass incarceration of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan. Several governments and civil society groups say it likely amounts to genocide.
While the visit may be beyond the reach of Western journalists, state media coverage is still useful as long as they know how to read between the lines, said Chris Buckley. rice field.New York Timesin an interview with VOA.
"Our role as foreign journalists is to read the official summaries of these visits and what they signal about policy," said Sydney, Australia. said Buckley, based in It's meant to send specific signals and messages about policy direction," Buckley said.
A variety of approaches by Chinese state and Western media came to the fore at a press conference near the end of Bechere's visit to China in May, the first visit to China by a UN human rights secretary since 2005.
Journalists were not present on the trip — according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights, the High Commissioner was able to have open and honest conversations with people he met. But a spokeswoman said she was trying to compensate by holding a press conference, as she had done in China.
The Guardian and CNN journalists We asked about Bachelet's access to and her long-awaited report on human rights violations in the area. Representatives of media outlets such as the People's Daily asked Bachelet to compare the "real Xinjiang" to Western media portrayals and questioned him about gun violence in the United States.[61] So the US is always smearing China, always trying to find something to bring China to its knees.
Beijing is increasingly emphasizing the importance of "telling the Chinese story well" to the world, and trips like Bachelor's will help with that campaign, says Kingsley of the University of Leeds, UK. Professor Edney told VOA.
Hassid shared a similar view, but said that travel is rooted in historical symbolism.
"It's hard to think of her visit as anything other than giving the stamp of approval that Xinjiang is okay, which is what the Chinese government wants," Hasid said in her VOA. told to "It is the Chinese government's gold standard to call foreigners over and pat them on the back."
According to Hassid, official visits have special historical and cultural significance in China, where emperors exercise authority.
Even today, "all the symbols" are exemplified by state media reports, he said.