{{Short description|English-language daily newspaper in China}} {{For|the newspaper published in Taiwan|China Daily News (Taiwan)}} {{Use American English|date=November 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = China Daily | logo = China Daily logo.jpg | image = China Daily headquarters (20251115112846).jpg | image_size = 240px | caption = Headquarters of ''China Daily'' in November 2025 | type = [[Daily newspaper]], [[state media]] | format = [[Broadsheet]] | chief_editor = Qu Yingpu | founded = {{start date and age|df=y|1981|06|01}} | owners = [[Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party]] | headquarters = China: 15 Huixin Street East, [[Chaoyang, Beijing|Chaoyang District]], Beijing<br />{{coord|39.980092|116.423802|region:CN-BJ_type:landmark|display=title,inline|name=China Daily}}<br/>Overseas: [[1500 Broadway]], Suite 2800<br />[[New York City|New York]], NY 10036<br />U.S. | editor = | website = {{Official URL}} | circulation = | language = [[English language|English]] }}{{Infobox Chinese | s = 中国日报 | p = Zhōngguó Rìbào }}{{Politics of China |expanded = Publicity }}
'''''China Daily''''' is an [[English language|English-language]] daily newspaper owned by the [[Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party|Central Propaganda Department]] of the [[Chinese Communist Party]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=chinesejournal /><ref name="concisehistory1993" />
== Overview == ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Hartig|first=Falk|editor1-first=Daya Kishan|editor1-last=Thussu|editor2-first=Hugo|editor2-last=De Burgh|editor3-first=Anbin|editor3-last=Shi|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pW5ADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT147|title=China's Media Go Global|date=2017-11-27|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-21461-8|chapter=China Daily - Beijing's Global Voice?|doi=10.4324/9781315619668|oclc=1158860903|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=21 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121075431/https://books.google.com/books?id=pW5ADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT147&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3|url-status=live}}</ref> The headquarters and principal [[editing|editorial]] office is in the [[Chaoyang District, Beijing|Chaoyang District]] of [[Beijing]].<ref name="2014 Annual Report">{{cite web|date=1 June 2015|title=2014 Annual Report|url=http://www.gjsy.gov.cn/ndbgzl/2014/201507/t20150701_42480.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806181839/http://www.gjsy.gov.cn/ndbgzl/2014/201507/t20150701_42480.html|archive-date=6 August 2016|access-date=2016-06-07|website=State Institution Registration Authority|language=zh}}</ref> The newspaper has branch offices in most major cities of China as well as several major foreign cities including [[Chinatown, Manhattan|New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[London]], and [[Kathmandu]].<ref>{{cite news|title=China Daily launches Kathmandu edition in Nepal|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-05/31/c_132422805.htm|access-date=2 June 2013|agency=[[Xinhua News Agency]]|date=31 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219174310/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-05/31/c_132422805.htm|archive-date=19 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''China Daily'' also produces an insert of sponsored content called '''''China Watch''''' that has been distributed inside other newspapers including, in the past, ''[[The New York Times]], [[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and ''[[Le Figaro]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fifield|first=Anna|author-link=Anna Fifield|date=16 January 2020|title=China is waging a global propaganda war to silence critics abroad, report warns|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-is-waging-an-aggressive-propaganda-campaign-to-distort-media-landscape-report-warns/2020/01/15/30fd4d58-374a-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027022601/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-is-waging-an-aggressive-propaganda-campaign-to-distort-media-landscape-report-warns/2020/01/15/30fd4d58-374a-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html|archive-date=27 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last1=Waterson|first1=Jim|author-link1=Jim Waterson|last2=Jones|first2=Dean Sterling|date=2020-04-14|title=Daily Telegraph stops publishing section paid for by China|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/14/daily-telegraph-stops-publishing-section-paid-for-by-china|url-status=live|access-date=2020-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415012159/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/14/daily-telegraph-stops-publishing-section-paid-for-by-china|archive-date=15 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Mo |date=26 June 2020 |title=US Spending Report Sheds Light on China's Global Propaganda Campaign |work=[[Voice of America]] |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_voa-news-china_us-spending-report-sheds-light-chinas-global-propaganda-campaign/6191830.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629220032/https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/us-spending-report-sheds-light-chinas-global-propaganda-campaign |archive-date=29 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Basu |first=Zachary |date=23 September 2018 |title=China takes out anti-trade war ads in Des Moines Register |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |url=https://www.axios.com/trump-trade-war-china-des-moines-register-ads-38d43375-3649-4d90-9e2f-26d386703c43.html |url-status=live |access-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924032925/https://www.axios.com/trump-trade-war-china-des-moines-register-ads-38d43375-3649-4d90-9e2f-26d386703c43.html |archive-date=24 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="NineEntertainment" /> ''China Daily'' operates a social media brand called "Media Unlocked".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-04 |title=China Daily's socmed propaganda push gets more traction on TikTok |url=https://pressone.ph/alert-china-dailys-socmed-propaganda-push-gets-more-traction-on-tiktok/ |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=PressOnePH |first=Felipe F. |last=Salvosa}}</ref>
Within mainland China, the newspaper targets primarily [[diplomat]]s, foreign [[expatriate]]s, tourists, and locals wishing to improve their English.<ref name=":1" /> The China edition also offers program guides to [[Radio Beijing]] and television, daily exchange rates, and local entertainment schedules.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thurston|first1=Anne F.|title=China Bound: A Guide to Academic Life and Work in the PRC|last2=Turner-Gottschang|first2=Karen|last3=Reed|first3=Linda A.|publisher=National Academy Press|year=1994|isbn=978-0-309-04932-0|edition=Revised|place=Washington, D.C.|page=[https://www.nap.edu/read/2111/chapter/3#38 38]|doi=10.17226/2111}}</ref> It has been used as a guide to [[Government of China|Chinese government]] policy and positions of the [[Chinese Communist Party]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lams |first=Lutgard |date=21 November 2017 |title=Othering in Chinese official media narratives during diplomatic standoffs with the US and Japan |journal=[[Palgrave Communications]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |article-number=33 |doi=10.1057/s41599-017-0034-z |issn=2055-1045 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Schnell|first=James A.|title=Qualitative Method Interpretations in Communication Studies|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7391-0147-6|page={{page needed|date=October 2020}}}}</ref> Scholar Falk Hartig describes the newspaper and its various international editions as an "instrument of China's [[public diplomacy]]."<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hartig|first=Falk|date=23 September 2019|title=Rethinking China's global 'propaganda' blitz|journal=[[Global Media and Communication]]|volume=16|issue=1|pages=3–18|doi=10.1177/1742766519871694|issn=1742-7665|s2cid=204356272}}</ref>
''China Daily''{{'}}s [[editorial]] policies have historically been described as slightly more [[liberalism|liberal]] than other Chinese state news outlets.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Heuvel|first1=Jon Vanden|title=The Unfolding Lotus: East Asia's Changing Media: A Report of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University in the City of New York|last2=Dennis|first2=Everette E.|publisher=The Center|year=1993|page=33|oclc=623928917|author-link2=Everette Dennis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Liu|first=Lihua|date=2009-02-01|title=Discourse construction of social power: interpersonal rhetoric in editorials of the China Daily|journal=[[Discourse Studies]]|volume=11|issue=1|pages=59–78|doi=10.1177/1461445608098498|s2cid=220784533 |issn=1461-4456}}</ref> Its coverage of the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre]] was overwhelmingly sympathetic to the student protests with many of its journalists joining in at the height of mass demonstrations.<ref name="oxfordreference China Daily" /> The newspaper's coverage of the [[2002–2004 SARS outbreak]] was reported to be more critical, fact-driven, and less laudatory than that of the ''[[People's Daily]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Changfu|first=Chang|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fm5BAgAAQBAJ&dq=China%20Daily%20%22detached%22&pg=PA261|title=Evolution of Power: China's Struggle, Survival, and Success|date=2013-11-21|publisher=[[Lexington Books]]|isbn=978-0-7391-8498-1|pages=263–265|chapter=One System, Two Frames: The Coverage of the WTO Negotiations and the SARS Outbreak by the People's Daily and the China Daily|oclc=864899546|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071334/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Evolution_of_Power/Fm5BAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=China+Daily+%22detached%22&pg=PA261&printsec=frontcover|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2018 [[discourse analysis]] from [[Uppsala University]] found that prior to [[Xi Jinping]]'s accession, many ''China Daily'' articles portrayed their government as a particular kind of democracy, with democratic ideals such as the implementation of universal [[suffrage]] (in Hong Kong) and grassroots elections sometimes endorsed. After his accession, articles became more negative in tone toward democracy and shifted focus to portraying the "vices" of democracies in the West, particularly the United States.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hietanen|first=Markus|url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1201133/FULLTEXT01.pdf|title=A Discourse on Democracy in China Daily|publisher=[[Uppsala Universitet]]|year=2018|pages=21–26|access-date=23 November 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071320/https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1201133/FULLTEXT01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Editorial control === Scholars have described ''China Daily'' as effectively controlled by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=chinesejournal>{{Cite journal|last=Chen|first=Lily|date=September 2013|title=Who speaks and how? Studies of voicing in the China Daily following a decade of change|journal=Chinese Journal of Communication|volume=6|issue=3|pages=325–349|doi=10.1080/17544750.2013.789421|s2cid=144203378|issn=1754-4750}}</ref><ref name="concisehistory1993">{{cite book|title=General History of the People's Republic of China, 1949–1995 |date=December 1993|publisher=[[Contemporary China Publishing House]]|isbn=7-80092-500-5|editor=有林|location=北京 |page=446 |language=zh}}</ref> Ideologically, it tends to adopt similar perspectives to the ''People's Daily''.<ref name="Juan Li Intertextuality">{{cite journal|last1=Li|first1=Juan|date=2009|title=Intertextuality and national identity: discourse of national conflicts in daily newspapers in the United States and China|journal=[[Discourse & Society]]|volume=20|issue=1|pages=85–121|doi=10.1177/0957926508097096|issn=0957-9265|jstor=42889245|s2cid=220396320 }}</ref> According to its 2014 annual report, ''China Daily'' is formally managed by the [[State Council Information Office]] (SCIO), which was formed from the Central Propaganda Department in 1991.<ref name="2014 Annual Report" /><ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Brady |first=Anne-Marie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uj-1sxeO99kC |title=Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China |date=2008 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-7425-4057-6 |pages=23, 156, 168 |oclc=968245349 |author-link=Anne-Marie Brady |access-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071355/https://books.google.com/books?id=uj-1sxeO99kC |archive-date=9 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The SCIO holds regular meetings with journalists and editors from ''China Daily'' on what they should publish.<ref name=":02" /> In 2014, the SCIO was absorbed into the CCP's Central Propaganda Department.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last1=Lulu |first1=Jichang |last2=Jirouš |first2=Filip |last3=Lee |first3=Rachel |date=2021-01-25 |title=Xi's centralisation of external propaganda: SCIO and the Central Propaganda Department |url=https://sinopsis.cz/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scio.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2021-11-20 |website=Sinopsis |archive-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203220603/https://sinopsis.cz/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scio.pdf }}</ref> The SCIO has stated that ''China Daily'' is "one of our most important tools in carrying out external propaganda".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kilpatrick |first=Ryan Ho |date=2023-03-16 |title=The Ins and Outs of the China Daily USA |url=https://chinamediaproject.org/2023/03/16/the-ins-and-outs-of-the-china-daily-usa/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=China Media Project |archive-date=25 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325153605/https://chinamediaproject.org/2023/03/16/the-ins-and-outs-of-the-china-daily-usa/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
A former [[Copy editing|copy-editor]] (or "polisher" as termed at ''China Daily'') for the newspaper described her role being "to tweak propaganda enough that it read as English, without inadvertently triggering war."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Needham|first=Kirsty|date=2004-08-23|title=Dear Iris, the truth is this ...|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/dear-iris-the-truth-is-this-20040823-gdjlna.html|access-date=2020-11-22|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071321/https://www.smh.com.au/world/dear-iris-the-truth-is-this-20040823-gdjlna.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Journalist Michael Ottey described his time working for ''China Daily'' as "almost like working for a public relations firm" and added "it wasn't really honest journalism. It was more 'Let's make the Chinese government look good.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite news|last=Scott|first=Liam|date=October 18, 2021|title=China Media Directives Reveal Granular Detail of State Censorship|work=[[Voice of America]]|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/china-media-directives-reveal-granular-detail-of-state-censorship/6275855.html|access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020081237/https://www.voanews.com/a/china-media-directives-reveal-granular-detail-of-state-censorship/6275855.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Writer Mitch Moxley, who worked at ''China Daily'' from 2007 to 2008, wrote in 2013 that many of the articles published in the newspaper's opinion pages "violated everything [he] had ever learned about [[journalistic ethics]], including ''China Daily'''s own code: 'Factual, Honest, Fair, Complete.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moxley |first=Mitch |date=2013-08-03 |title=Fear and Loathing at the China Daily |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/08/fear-and-loathing-at-the-china-daily/278334/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221024445/https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/08/fear-and-loathing-at-the-china-daily/278334/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== History == ''China Daily'' was officially established in June 1981 after a one-month trial.<ref name="China Daily News John Lawrence"/> It was initially led by Jiang Muyue, with Liu Zhunqi as editor in chief.<ref name="oxfordreference China Daily">{{Cite book |last=Cheng |first=Linsun |title=Berkshire Encyclopedia of China |date=2016 |publisher=[[Berkshire Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0-9770159-4-8 |volume=1 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780190622671.001.0001}}</ref> It was the first national daily English-language newspaper in China after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. Its initial circulation was 22,000, which grew to 65,000 by the following year.<ref name="China Daily News John Lawrence">{{cite journal|last1=Lawrence|first1=John|date=1982|title=China Daily News|journal=[[The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs]]|issue=8|pages=147–151|doi=10.2307/2158933|issn=0156-7365|jstor=2158933|s2cid=156940388}}</ref> The paper was a departure from other Chinese newspapers at the time: it was "a [[Western world|Western]]-style paper", in content, style, and organizational structure.<ref name="China Daily News John Lawrence" /> By July 1982, the newspaper had plans to publish editions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and tentatively Australia.<ref name="China Daily News John Lawrence"/> Initially, it struggled to find English-speaking journalists.<ref name="China Daily News John Lawrence"/>
''China Daily'' began distribution in North America in 1983. It has been registered as a [[foreign agent]] in the United States under the [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]] since 1983.<ref name="US Designates China's Official Media as Operatives"/>
''China Daily'' introduced an [[digital media|online edition]] in 1996 and a Hong Kong edition in 1997.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=About China Daily|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cd/introduction.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223215426/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cd/introduction.html|archive-date=23 December 2018|work=China Daily}}</ref> By 2006, it had a reported circulation of 300,000, of which two thirds were in China and one third international.<ref name="oxfordreference China Daily" /> In 2010, it launched ''China Daily Asia Weekly,'' a [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid]]-sized pan-Asian edition.<ref name=":0" />
In December 2012, ''China Daily'' launched an Africa edition, published in [[Nairobi]], the capital of [[Kenya]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |date=14 December 2012 |title=China Daily newspaper launches Africa edition |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20722952 |url-status=live |access-date=15 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214205149/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20722952 |archive-date=14 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="Smith">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=David |author-link=David Smith (journalist) |date=14 May 2012 |title=China Daily to publish African edition as Beijing strengthens voice abroad |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/14/china-daily-newspaper-launches-african-edition |url-status=live |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417075755/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/14/china-daily-newspaper-launches-african-edition |archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> This edition aimed expand the ''China Daily'' readership, of both African people and Chinese people who live in Africa, and showcase China's interests in Africa.<ref name="Smith" />
In 2015, ''China Daily'' published a fake [[op-ed]] which the publication claimed was penned by [[Peter Hessler]]. They combined part of the transcript of an interview he had done with comments from another person interviewed as well as completely fabricated parts and ran it as an op-ed under Hessler's byline without his knowledge or permission.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davison |first=Nicola |date=January 21, 2015 |title=China state-run newspaper 'fabricated column by New Yorker writer' praising Beijing |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11359439/China-state-run-newspaper-fabricated-column-by-New-Yorker-writer-praising-Beijing.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=2021-03-06 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11359439/China-state-run-newspaper-fabricated-column-by-New-Yorker-writer-praising-Beijing.html |archive-date=12 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The fabricated op-ed contained made up praise for China and misrepresented Hessler's own words by taking them out of context.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Yu|first=Jess|date=January 21, 2015|title=New Yorker Writer Is Surprised by Byline in Chinese Newspaper: His Own|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/peter-hessler-china-daily-article/|url-status=live|access-date=March 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126224907/https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/peter-hessler-china-daily-article/|archive-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hernandez|first=Javier C.|date=October 14, 2015|title=In China's State News Media, What Is Said May Not Be What's Printed|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/roderick-macfarquhar-global-times-china/|url-status=live|access-date=March 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126224912/https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/roderick-macfarquhar-global-times-china/|archive-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref> According to the [[Associated Press]], the editorial repeated Chinese Communist Party talking points and ''China Daily'' refused to retract it although it subsequently removed the English language version of the op-ed.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Jack |title=New Yorker writer says he didn't pen op-ed in Chinese paper |url=https://apnews.com/article/47dbf00d8d724bfaa910c36ae1a5e4a8 |access-date=9 March 2021 |website=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=Associated Press |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408064314/https://apnews.com/article/47dbf00d8d724bfaa910c36ae1a5e4a8 |url-status=live |date=21 January 2015}}</ref>
In 2018, the paper fabricated a quote by the mayor of [[Davos]], Switzerland, Tarzisius Caviezel.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Huang|first=Zheping|date=January 26, 2018|title=A Chinese paper used fake news to play up Xi Jinping's influence at Davos|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|url=https://qz.com/1189998/fake-news-chinas-state-media-used-fabricated-quotes-to-play-up-xi-jinpings-influence-at-davos/|url-status=live|access-date=March 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126094638/https://qz.com/1189998/fake-news-chinas-state-media-used-fabricated-quotes-to-play-up-xi-jinpings-influence-at-davos/|archive-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>
A January 2020 report by [[Freedom House]], a U.S. [[non-governmental organization]], noted that ''China Daily'' had increased its spending from $500,000 in the first half of 2009 to over $5 million in the latter half of 2019 for increased print runs.<ref name="Tandon">{{Cite news |last=Tandon |first=Shaun |date=April 8, 2020 |title=US tightens rules on Chinese state media |work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2020/04/08/us-tightens-rules-on-chinese-state-media/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408222218/https://hongkongfp.com/2020/04/08/us-tightens-rules-on-chinese-state-media/ |archive-date=April 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> ''China Daily'' said it had a circulation of 300,000 in the U.S. and 600,000 overseas.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=2020-05-06 |first=Steven |last=Yoder |title=Driven to 'near extinction': Beijing's high-pressure campaign against the foreign Chinese-language press |url=https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/china-censorship-abroad/ |website=[[Coda Media]] |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=10 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510180119/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/china-censorship-abroad/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In February 2020, a group of U.S. lawmakers asked the [[United States Department of Justice]] to investigate ''China Daily'' for alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Magnier|first=Mark|date=8 February 2020|title=US lawmakers push Justice Department to investigate China Daily, label the newspaper a foreign agent|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3049627/us-lawmakers-push-justice-department-investigate-china-daily|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811204030/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3049627/us-lawmakers-push-justice-department-investigate-china-daily|archive-date=11 August 2020}}</ref> Later the same month, the [[United States Department of State]] designated ''China Daily'', along with several other Chinese [[state media]] outlets, as [[Diplomatic mission|foreign missions]] owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Allen-Ebrahimian |first=Bethany |date=18 February 2020 |title=Exclusive: Pompeo says new China media restrictions "long overdue" |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |url=https://www.axios.com/pompeo-china-media-restriction-2507fdab-5672-4a07-b4f7-4de7c996983a.html |url-status=live |access-date=2020-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218235410/https://www.axios.com/pompeo-china-media-restriction-2507fdab-5672-4a07-b4f7-4de7c996983a.html |archive-date=18 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tomlinson |first=Lucas |date=2020-02-18 |title=State Department designates 5 Chinese media outlets 'foreign missions' |website=[[Fox News]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-china-media-foreign-propaganda |url-status=live |access-date=2020-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218235410/https://www.foxnews.com/world/state-department-china-media-foreign-propaganda |archive-date=18 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="US Designates China's Official Media as Operatives">{{Cite news|last1=Jakes|first1=Lara|last2=Myers|first2=Steven Lee|date=2020-02-18|title=U.S. Designates China's Official Media as Operatives of the Communist State|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/world/asia/china-media-trump.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324074500/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/world/asia/china-media-trump.html|archive-date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=O'Keeffe|first1=Kate|last2=Cheng|first2=Jonathan|date=2020-02-19|title=State Department Names Five Chinese Media Outlets as Foreign Missions in U.S.|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-department-names-five-chinese-media-outlets-as-foreign-diplomatic-missions-in-u-s-11582062002|url-status=live|access-date=2020-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401025922/https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-department-names-five-chinese-media-outlets-as-foreign-diplomatic-missions-in-u-s-11582062002|archive-date=1 April 2020}}</ref>
In June 2020, ''China Daily'' awarded a tender for a "foreign personnel analysis platform" to the [[Communication University of China]] to scan social media and automatically flag "false statements and reports on China."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cadell|first=Cate|date=December 31, 2021|title=China harvests masses of data on Western targets, documents show|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-harvests-masses-of-data-on-western-targets-documents-show/2021/12/31/3981ce9c-538e-11ec-8927-c396fa861a71_story.html|access-date=2022-01-01|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=1 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101001350/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-harvests-masses-of-data-on-western-targets-documents-show/2021/12/31/3981ce9c-538e-11ec-8927-c396fa861a71_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In September 2020, India's [[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]] issued a statement saying that comments made by ''China Daily'' were falsely attributed to [[Ajit Doval]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 2020 |title=Press Statement on China Daily / Global Times article attributing false comments to NSA |url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/32948/Press_Statement_on_China_Daily__Global_Times_article_attributing_false_comments_to_NSA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071350/https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl%2F32948%2FPress_Statement_on_China_Daily__Global_Times_article_attributing_false_comments_to_NSA |archive-date=9 January 2021 |access-date=2020-11-23 |website=[[Ministry of External Affairs (India)]]}}</ref> In September 2023, the US Department of State accused the Chinese government of [[information laundering]] by using a fictitious opinion [[columnist]] named "Yi Fan" writing in ''China Daily'' and other outlets to present state narratives as "organic sentiment".<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2023 |title=How the People's Republic of China Seeks to Reshape the Global Information Environment |url=https://www.state.gov/gec-special-report-how-the-peoples-republic-of-china-seeks-to-reshape-the-global-information-environment/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=[[United States Department of State]] |quote=PRC officials sometimes attribute relevant content to specific authors under false names, likely to conceal the PRC's role in producing it and falsely purporting to represent legitimate, organic sentiment in a given region. In addition, PRC officials are known in some cases to attribute such manufactured commentaries to 'international affairs commentators' and then use other individual, non-official accounts to promote these commentaries. As one example, the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) uses a manufactured persona named Yi Fan, often credited as a 'Beijing-based international affairs commentator,' to deceptively promote pro-Beijing views on a wide variety of topics and regions. |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928232237/https://www.state.gov/gec-special-report-how-the-peoples-republic-of-china-seeks-to-reshape-the-global-information-environment/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Steven Lee |date=2023-09-28 |title=China Uses 'Deceptive' Methods to Sow Disinformation, U.S. Says |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/28/technology/china-disinformation-us-state-department.html |access-date=2023-09-29 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929012111/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/28/technology/china-disinformation-us-state-department.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Willemyns |first=Alex |date=September 28, 2023 |title=US diplomat: 'We're in an undeclared information war' |website=[[Radio Free Asia]] |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/disinformation-propaganda-report-09282023162711.html |access-date=2023-09-29 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930010005/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/disinformation-propaganda-report-09282023162711.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In January 2024, ''China Daily'' and the Yunnan [[International communication center|International Communication Center]] (ICC), a project of the propaganda department of the [[Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Yunnan provincial CCP committee]], jointly launched the South and Southeast Asian Media Network.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bandurski |first=David |date=2024-02-29 |title=China's Local Game of Global Propaganda |url=https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/02/29/going-local-with-the-global-propaganda-game/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=China Media Project |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229150204/https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/02/29/going-local-with-the-global-propaganda-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''China Daily'' has continued to partner with other provincial ICCs established by provincial CCP propaganda departments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bandurski |first=David |date=2024-07-04 |title=China Starts Influence Ranking for Cities |url=https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/07/04/china-starts-influence-ranking-for-cities/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=China Media Project |archive-date=6 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706212203/https://chinamediaproject.org/2024/07/04/china-starts-influence-ranking-for-cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The publication has also formed partnerships with [[Renmin University of China]], [[Harbin Institute of Technology]], [[Shandong University]], and [[Huazhong University of Science and Technology]].<ref name=":4" />
In March 2025, U.S. congressional Republicans banned the distribution of ''China Daily'' on [[United States Congress|Capitol Hill]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dinan |first=Stephen |date=March 11, 2025 |title=GOP bans distribution of Chinese newspaper to House offices |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/11/gop-bans-distribution-chinese-newspaper-house-offices/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref> The same month in the UK, members of Parliament requested a review of free delivery of ''China Daily'' to legislators.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Harry |date=2025-03-13 |title=Deliveries of Chinese Communist Party newspaper to MPs could be stopped |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/china-daily-lindsay-hoyle-mps-chinese-communist-party-iain-duncan-smith-b2714125.html |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> In August 2025, the propaganda department of the [[Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Shaanxi provincial CCP committee]] signed a cooperation agreement with ''China Daily''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Bandurski |first=David |date=2025-08-26 |title=Central Media and the Local Soft Power Push |url=https://chinamediaproject.org/2025/08/26/central-media-anchor-propaganda-push/ |access-date=2025-08-27 |website=China Media Project}}</ref>
== Reception ==
===Overall===
In a 2004 journal article, [[University of Sheffield]] professor Lily Chen stated that ''China Daily'' was "essentially a publicly funded government mouthpiece".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Lily|date=2004|title=Evaluation in Media Texts: A Cross-Cultural Linguistic Investigation|journal=[[Language in Society]]|volume=33|issue=5|pages=673–702|doi=10.1017/S0047404504045026|issn=0047-4045|jstor=4169385|s2cid=5524732|url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/1613/1/chen.l1.pdf|access-date=23 December 2021|archive-date=22 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122005921/https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/1613/1/chen.l1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Judy Polumbaum stated in the ''Berkshire Encyclopedia of China'' (2009) that ''China Daily'' "resists definition as a simple mouthpiece" and has a "distinctive, if quixotic, status".<ref name="oxfordreference China Daily" /> In 2009, ''China Daily'' was called "the most influential English language national newspaper in China" according to [[University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)|University of St. Thomas]] scholar Juan Li.<ref name="Juan Li Intertextuality" /> It is known for original reporting.<ref name="oxfordreference China Daily" /> Non-governmental organization [[Reporters Without Borders]] has accused ''China Daily'' of engaging in censorship and propaganda.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-25|title=Coronavirus: The information heroes China silenced|url=https://rsf.org/en/news/coronavirus-information-heroes-china-silenced|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071321/https://rsf.org/en/news/coronavirus-information-heroes-china-silenced|archive-date=9 January 2021|access-date=2020-11-23|publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=22 March 2019|title=China's Pursuit of a New World Media Order|url=https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/en_rapport_chine_web_final.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071320/https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/en_rapport_chine_web_final.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2021|access-date=23 November 2020|publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]}}</ref>
In February 2020, ''The New York Times'' wrote that ''China Daily''{{'}}s inserts published in US newspapers "generally offer an informative, if anodyne, view of world affairs refracted through the lens of the Communist Party."<ref name="US Designates China's Official Media as Operatives"/> Later that year, in response to criticism, ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', and [[Nine Entertainment Co.]] ceased publishing ''China Daily''{{'}}s ''China Watch'' inserts in their newspapers.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="NineEntertainment">{{Cite news|last=Meade|first=Amanda|date=9 December 2020|title=Nine Entertainment newspapers quit carrying China Watch supplement|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/dec/09/nine-entertainment-newspapers-quit-carrying-china-watch-supplement|url-status=live|access-date=9 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071324/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/dec/09/nine-entertainment-newspapers-quit-carrying-china-watch-supplement|archive-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> In March 2024, US senator [[Marco Rubio]] publicly called on ''[[The Seattle Times]]'', ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Financial Times]]'', ''[[Sun Sentinel]]'', and the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' to sever financial ties with ''China Daily''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Joseph |first=Jamie |date=4 March 2024 |title=Rubio calls on US media outlets to cut ties with CCP propaganda outlet China Daily |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-calls-us-media-outlets-cut-ties-ccp-propaganda-outlet-china-daily |access-date=5 March 2024 |work=[[Fox News]] |archive-date=5 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305001130/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-calls-us-media-outlets-cut-ties-ccp-propaganda-outlet-china-daily |url-status=live }}</ref>
A 2025 [[frame analysis]] of ''China Daily'' articles by [[Universiti Sains Malaysia]] researchers found that the outlet blamed the United States as the driving force for the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chai |first=Ming Hock |last2=Liu |first2=Ying Hong |date=2025-08-31 |title=Framing Analysis of the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine in China Daily and The Guardian |journal=Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=548–570 |doi=10.55197/qjssh.v6i4.807 |issn=2716-6481 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
=== Disinformation === {{Further|Censorship in China|COVID-19 misinformation by China|Propaganda in China}}
Media outlets such as ''The New York Times'', [[NPR]], ''[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]'', and ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'' have published accounts of ''China Daily''{{'}}s dissemination of [[disinformation]] related to the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Li|first=Jane|date=17 June 2019|title=A state-run Chinese newspaper is presenting alternative facts on Hong Kong's protests|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|url=https://qz.com/1645766/how-china-daily-advertiser-in-us-media-reports-hong-kong-protests/|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107232734/https://qz.com/1645766/how-china-daily-advertiser-in-us-media-reports-hong-kong-protests/|archive-date=7 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Steven Lee |last2=Mozur |first2=Paul |date=2019-08-13 |title=China Is Waging a Disinformation War Against Hong Kong Protesters |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-china.html |url-status=live |access-date=2020-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430164847/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-china.html |archive-date=30 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Conger |first=Kate |date=2019-08-19 |title=Facebook and Twitter Say China Is Spreading Disinformation in Hong Kong |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/technology/hong-kong-protests-china-disinformation-facebook-twitter.html |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=2020-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820003009/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/technology/hong-kong-protests-china-disinformation-facebook-twitter.html |archive-date=20 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Feng|first=Emily|date=20 August 2019|title=How China Uses Twitter And Facebook To Share Disinformation About Hong Kong|work=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/08/20/752668835/how-china-uses-twitter-and-facebook-to-share-disinformation-about-hong-kong|url-status=live|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823185307/https://www.npr.org/2019/08/20/752668835/how-china-uses-twitter-and-facebook-to-share-disinformation-about-hong-kong|archive-date=23 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Mac|first1=Ryan|last2=Adams|first2=Rosalind|date=19 August 2019|title=Have You Seen These Ads About Hong Kong's Protests? China Certainly Hopes You Have.|work=[[BuzzFeed News]]|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/hong-kong-protests-violent-facebook-twitter-ads-china-state|access-date=22 December 2020|archive-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819194944/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/hong-kong-protests-violent-facebook-twitter-ads-china-state|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2019, ''China Daily''{{'}}s official Facebook account stated that Hong Kong protesters were planning on launching terrorist attacks on 11 September of the same year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Huang|first=Echo|date=19 September 2019|title=Why China isn't as skillful at disinformation as Russia|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|url=https://qz.com/1699144/why-chinas-social-media-propaganda-isnt-as-good-as-russias/|access-date=22 December 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071355/https://qz.com/1699144/why-chinas-social-media-propaganda-isnt-as-good-as-russias/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Zheng|first=Sarah|date=September 10, 2019|title=China Daily newspaper criticised over claim Hong Kong protesters are planning 9/11 terror attack|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026563/china-daily-newspaper-criticised-over-claim-hong-kong|access-date=March 6, 2021|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112023808/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026563/china-daily-newspaper-criticised-over-claim-hong-kong|url-status=live}}</ref>
In May 2020, [[CNN]], ''Financial Times'', and other media outlets reported that ''China Daily'' censored references to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic from an opinion piece authored by [[European Union]] ambassadors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Hadas |author-link=Hadas Gold |date=15 May 2020 |title=China is mobilizing its global media machine in the coronavirus war of words |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/15/media/china-coronavirus-global-media/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604080615/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/15/media/china-coronavirus-global-media/index.html |archive-date=4 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Walsh|first1=Carly|last2=Cullen|first2=Simon|date=8 May 2020|title=The EU has admitted it let China censor an op-ed by the bloc's ambassadors|work=[[CNN]]|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/08/china/eu-china-coronavirus-oped-censored-intl/index.html|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071355/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/08/china/eu-china-coronavirus-oped-censored-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Don |last=Weinland |date=7 May 2020 |title=EU draws criticism over consent to China censorship of coronavirus article |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d56978b7-4404-4457-906d-f9eda5980610 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071357/https://www.ft.com/content/d56978b7-4404-4457-906d-f9eda5980610 |archive-date=9 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Kumar|first1=Isabelle|last2=Ruiz Trullols|first2=Laura|date=7 May 2020|title=EU regret after state-run newspaper China Daily removes COVID-19 mention from op-ed|work=[[Euronews]]|url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/07/coronavirus-eu-regret-after-state-run-newspaper-china-daily-removes-covid-19-mention-from|access-date=25 November 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071327/https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/07/coronavirus-eu-regret-after-state-run-newspaper-china-daily-removes-covid-19-mention-from|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2021, ''China Daily'' inaccurately attributed deaths in Norway to the [[Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hui|first=Mary|date=21 January 2021|title=China's vaccine diplomacy has an aggressive anti-vax element|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|url=https://qz.com/1959855/chinas-coronavirus-vaccine-diplomacy-is-anti-vax/|access-date=29 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123184106/https://qz.com/1959855/chinas-coronavirus-vaccine-diplomacy-is-anti-vax/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2021, the [[European External Action Service]] published a report that cited ''China Daily'' and other state media outlets for "selective highlighting" of potential vaccine side-effects and "disregarding contextual information or ongoing research" to present Western vaccines as unsafe.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-28|title=EEAS Special Report Update: Short Assessment of Narratives and Disinformation Around the COVID-19 Pandemic (Update December 2020 - April 2021)|url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/eeas-special-report-update-short-assessment-of-narratives-and-disinformation-around-the-covid-19-pandemic-update-december-2020-april-2021/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-28|website=EUvsDisinfo|publisher=[[European External Action Service]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428223144/https://euvsdisinfo.eu/eeas-special-report-update-short-assessment-of-narratives-and-disinformation-around-the-covid-19-pandemic-update-december-2020-april-2021/ |archive-date=28 April 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Emmott|first=Robin|date=April 28, 2021|title=Russia, China sow disinformation to undermine trust in Western vaccines, EU report says|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/russia-china-sow-disinformation-undermine-trust-western-vaccines-eu-report-says-2021-04-28/|access-date=April 28, 2021|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526170559/https://www.reuters.com/world/china/russia-china-sow-disinformation-undermine-trust-western-vaccines-eu-report-says-2021-04-28/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2021, the [[German Marshall Fund]] reported that ''China Daily'' was one of several state media outlets propagating a conspiracy theory concerning the [[Investigations into the origin of COVID-19|origins of COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Aghekyan|first1=Elen|last2=Schafer|first2=Bret|date=2021-10-05|title=Deep in the Data Void: China's COVID-19 Disinformation Dominates Search Engine Results|url=https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/data-void-china-covid-disinformation/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-16|website=[[Alliance For Securing Democracy]]|publisher=[[German Marshall Fund]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005135227/https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/data-void-china-covid-disinformation/ |archive-date=5 October 2021 }}</ref>
In January 2022, ''China Daily'' alleged that the U.S. planned to pay athletes to "sabotage" the [[2022 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tian|first=Yew Lun|date=2022-01-29|title=China says U.S. plans to pay athletes to 'sabotage' Beijing Games|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-media-says-us-pays-athletes-disrupt-beijing-games-2022-01-29/|access-date=2022-02-24|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224043149/https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-media-says-us-pays-athletes-disrupt-beijing-games-2022-01-29/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2022, ''China Daily'' published an article in Chinese<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 24, 2022 |title=突发：英媒宣称，研究证实新冠病毒是美国公司制造 |trans-title=BREAKING: British media claims that research confirms that the new coronavirus was made by a US company |url=https://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/24/WS623bbde4a3101c3ee7acd17c.html |access-date=October 19, 2022 |website=China Daily |language=Simplified Chinese |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019024126/https://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/24/WS623bbde4a3101c3ee7acd17c.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which falsely claimed that COVID-19 was created by [[Moderna]], citing a page on ''[[The Exposé]]'', a British conspiracist website.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cockerell|first=Isobel|date=2022-03-25|title=British homegrown conspiracies get Beijing's stamp of approval|website=[[Coda Media]]|url=https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/beijing-british-conspiracies|access-date=14 June 2022|archive-date=5 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605000103/https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/beijing-british-conspiracies/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-04-01 |first1=Legu |last1=Zhang |first2=William |last2=Echols |title=Made by Moderna? China Spreads Yet Another Debunked COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory |url=https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-moderna-vaccine-covid-conspiracy/31781624.html |website=[[Polygraph.info]] |access-date=8 July 2022 |archive-date=8 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708143914/https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-moderna-vaccine-covid-conspiracy/31781624.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Portrayal of Muslims === {{Further|Islamophobia in China|Persecution of Uyghurs in China#Denial of abuses}}
A 2019 [[critical discourse analysis]] of ''China Daily''{{'}}s coverage of [[Islam in China|Chinese Muslims]] found them to be portrayed as "obedient and dependent Chinese citizens who benefit from the government's intervention."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ye |first1=Meng |last2=Thomas |first2=Peter |date=1 June 2020 |title=Paternalism in China Daily's coverage of Chinese Muslims (2001–2015) |journal=[[Discourse & Communication]] |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=314–331 |doi=10.1177/1750481319893770 |issn=1750-4813 |s2cid=213982943}}</ref> In January 2021, a ''China Daily'' article praised a report from the [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]], stating that government policies in [[Xinjiang]] had "emancipated" the minds of [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] women so that they are "no longer baby-making machines".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hui|first=Mary|date=8 January 2021|title=China praised itself for saving Uyghur women from being 'baby-making machines' |work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|url=https://qz.com/1954520/china-says-it-saved-uyghur-women-from-being-baby-making-machines/|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071426/https://qz.com/1954520/china-says-it-saved-uyghur-women-from-being-baby-making-machines/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=8 January 2021|title='Uygur women no longer baby-making machines': China boasts about birth rate dip|work=[[The Week (Indian magazine)|The Week]]|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/01/08/uygur-women-no-long-baby-making-machines-china-boasts-about-birth-rate-dip.html|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108103343/https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/01/08/uygur-women-no-long-baby-making-machines-china-boasts-about-birth-rate-dip.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The article drew condemnation as being a justification for reproductive policies which [[Persecution of Uyghurs in China|persecute Uyghur people]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ordonez|first=Victor|date=8 January 2021|title=Chinese Embassy tweet about Uighurs and birth rate draws instant condemnation|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/chinese-embassy-tweet-uighurs-birth-rate-draws-instant/story?id=75118569|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071427/https://abcnews.go.com/International/chinese-embassy-tweet-uighurs-birth-rate-draws-instant/story?id=75118569}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Berrill|first=Lewis|date=8 January 2021|title=Iain Duncan Smith blasts China over Uyghur detention camps|work=[[Your Local Guardian|East London and West Essex Guardian]]|url=https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/18997426.iain-duncan-smith-blasts-china-uyghur-detention-camps/|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071336/https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/18997426.iain-duncan-smith-blasts-china-uyghur-detention-camps/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=8 January 2021|title=US Voices Disgust at China Boast of Uighur Population Control|work=[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/us-voices-disgust-at-china-boast-of-uighur-population-control-01610139605|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=8 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108231442/https://www.barrons.com/news/us-voices-disgust-at-china-boast-of-uighur-population-control-01610139605|url-status=live}}</ref> and sparked calls for [[Twitter]] to remove links to the article.<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 January 2021|title=Twitter urged to act on China's 'violent propaganda' about Uyghur Muslim women|work=[[The Times of Israel]]|url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/twitter-urged-to-act-on-chinas-violent-propaganda-about-uyghur-muslim-women/|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071410/https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/twitter-urged-to-act-on-chinas-violent-propaganda-about-uyghur-muslim-women/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Lee|first=Timothy B.|date=7 January 2021|title='Baby-making machines': Chinese tweet on Uighurs not against Twitter rules|work=[[Ars Technica]]|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/twitter-says-it-wont-take-down-chinese-tweet-praising-uygur-policy/|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109071336/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/twitter-says-it-wont-take-down-chinese-tweet-praising-uygur-policy/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Lee|first=Timothy B.|date=9 January 2021|title=Twitter takes down China's 'baby-making machines' tweet on Uighur women|work=[[Ars Technica]]|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/twitter-takes-down-chinas-baby-making-machines-tweet-on-uighur-women/|access-date=9 January 2021|archive-date=14 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114134942/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/twitter-takes-down-chinas-baby-making-machines-tweet-on-uighur-women/|url-status=live}}</ref> Twitter removed a reposting of the ''China Daily'' article by the PRC's official U.S. embassy account and subsequently suspended the account for contravening its stated policy against "dehumanization of a group of people".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goh|first=Brenda|date=2021-01-21|title=Twitter locks account of China's U.S. embassy over its defence of Xinjiang policy|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-twitter-idUSKBN29Q03O|access-date=2021-01-21|archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121155644/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-twitter-idUSKBN29Q03O|url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|China|Journalism}} * [[Chinese information operations and information warfare]] * [[List of newspapers in China]] * [[Mass media in China]] * [[Propaganda in China]]
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
== External links == * {{Official website}}
{{Foreign-language newspapers in China}}{{Major central news organizations}}{{National key news website}}
[[Category:1981 establishments in China]] [[Category:English-language newspapers published in China]] [[Category:Newspapers published in Beijing]] [[Category:Newspapers established in 1981]] [[Category:Chinese propaganda organisations]] [[Category:Chinese Communist Party newspapers]] [[Category:Daily newspapers published in China]] [[Category:Information operations units and formations]] [[Category:State media]] [[Category:Conspiracist publications]] [[Category:Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party]] [[Category:State Council Information Office]]