For years, one Chinese language media outlet in the United States has openly framed itself as serving immigrants from mainland China, using simplified Chinese characters as its appeal.
That was only months after the Tiananmen massacre in Beijing, which drew such a forceful backlash in the United States that the Chinese regime found it hard to project its narratives through official state agencies.
It was a perfect opportunity for China Press, which isn’t officially affiliated with Beijing. Based in the United States, its name “Qiaobao” translates to “Chinese diaspora newspaper.”
Chinese officials have called such overseas Chinese language media one of its “three treasures” to help control the Chinese diaspora.
“These ‘Qiao’ publications carry power that the ‘official army’ cannot wield,” a former press officer for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which guides the covert Chinese campaign for global influence, recalled CCP officials saying in the 1990s. By using the publications as a bridge, the officials said that they could “go global,” the officer told The Epoch Times.
She said that she received instructions to provide content to China Press, which had created a new special section dedicated to “promoting accomplishments from China’s nation-building efforts.”
The press officer was one of many who alleged direct ties between the outlet and the Chinese government body.
Indeed, China Press for the past decades maintained close connections with Chinese officials. Its executives frequently travel to China for media forums and political conferences, with some invited to the official ceremony for the CCP’s 70th anniversary in 2019. A chief editor for the newspaper, Jeng I-Der, also took on the adviser position for a Chinese state-run magazine.
He represented China Press in 1997 to cover Hong Kong’s reversion to Chinese sovereignty, an event that he claimed led to Hong Kong’s economic growth. China Press was the only overseas Chinese language media allowed present.
China Press isn’t registered as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department, unlike some other entities such as China Daily, a state media outlet. The lack of details makes it difficult to learn its activities.
But multiple former staffers with China Press and pro-Beijing media said the affiliation exists.
“China Press doesn’t make money. Its lifeline is the CCP,” a former editor for China Press told The Epoch Times.
Another former reporter for the outlet suggested that the outlet can receive money from China’s authorities through many channels that are less visible.
“What if they take a piece of paper and exaggerate some transaction numbers? They can also go through official channels or get money from the Chinese consulate. There’s no way to find out. They can do business with companies based here.”
Beijing’s appreciation for China Press is also clear.
In 2015, in writing gifted to China Press on its 25th anniversary, then New York Chinese Consul General Zhang Qiyue praised the paper for “building a bridge between the United States and China.”
He wasn’t the only official to distinguish the paper.
Late CCP leader Jiang Zemin hand wrote a plague that featured on the wall of the New York office of China Press. You Jiang, the CEO of the paper until 2020, said these gestures had “undoubtedly aided China Press in establishing itself as an authority on China news coverage.”
China Press has denied any direct affiliation with the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. But at least one reporter has named the office as his workplace.
The paper’s founder, former Chinese state media reporter Xie Yining, established a firm policy excluding any content deemed to interfere with “the reunification of the motherland” from his newspaper.
He told reporters to “investigate in depth” to verify any coverage that reflects negatively on Chinese society.
Chinese authorities have credited China Press coverage for bringing investments.
Five prospective U.S. investors contacted a northeastern Chinese city after seeing its promotional content, according to local Chinese state media.
On key Chinese issues, China Press’ reporting aligns closely with the regime.
What about the persecution of faith groups such as Falun Gong, or the Tiananmen Square massacre? You won’t find it there.
A former China Press reporter said he didn’t read the newspaper even while working there. But the paper still holds influence over a certain part of Chinese-speaking population, such as those from China’s southeastern province Fujian.
“They will trust its words because our fellow overseas Chinese still love their country,” he said. “When they read China Press, they will believe it’s true.”
