China, Russia pledge joint foreign media push

Russia and China plan to increase their global propaganda cooperation, as the US curtails its own support for foreign media.

A statement following a meeting of the two countries’ leaders included a pledge to “jointly articulate a common stance in the global media space,” a move that comes as Washington dismantles its state-funded overseas efforts, veteran China watcher Bill Bishop noted in his Sinocism newsletter.

By contrast, Moscow has opened an academy to train journalists from Africa and Southeast Asia and expanded its outlets’ reach in Latin America, while Beijing has ramped up its state news agency’s footprint in Africa and is making a concerted effort to grow its influence on Facebook — a social network banned in China.