China Launches a New English-language Newspaper

A new English-language newspaper, the Global Times, published by China’s Communist Party hit the Beijing newsstands in April of this year. The English edition of the Global Times joins a Chinese-language version focused mainly on international news that has been publishing since 1993. The publishers produced 100,000 copies of the fifteen page paper which is expected to have a worldwide circulation, and have also launched the paper’s website.

By presenting news from a Chinese perspective and reaching a greater international audience, the Chinese government hopes to improve the communist party’s public image, particularly on issues regarding democracy and human rights. The English edition of the Global Times will include academic, cultural, sports, and international news events. According to Professor Yin Yungong, director of the institute of journalism and communication studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the style of the Global Times is closer to foreign publications than other official media.

In China, the new paper will be in competition with the more-established English-language newspaper the China Daily, as well as the Shanghai Daily, both of which are also controlled by the state. The headlines in the new Global Times come across a bit less nationalistic than their Chinese counterparts ("Chinese call for stronger naval presence" vs. the Chinese edition headline which translates as "The world focuses on China's fleet review"). Furthermore, there is very little overlap in the front page news for the Global Times with other China-based papers like the Shanghai Daily and China Daily. By expanding their readership, China’s leaders hope they can achieve a more positive world view of China.