Lingua Sinica Newsletter, 6 March
News, analysis, and commentary on Chinese-language media from the PRC and beyond.
Welcome back to Lingua Sinica.
Before we move on to our usual mix of significance and whimsy in the Chinese-language media space, we want to give a shout out to Ryan Ho Kilpatrick, who for the past two years has led our editorial team. Ryan slipped out last week, hanging up his CMP spurs and heading off to Taiwan’s coast. Most of the rest of us were distracted in the meantime by RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age — hosted for the first time in Taipei. Returning to the office this week, we have already missed Ryan, as I’m sure all of you will miss his distinctive voice. Never fear. As he said in the last edition, he will return as an occasional guest editor.
In China this week, the pageantry of the “two sessions,” that pair of annual political gatherings, is meant to be the top story. But any journalist with a nose for real news can tell you that these scripted meetings are generally an insipid affair. Aside from official outtakes of the premier’s government work report (政府工作报告) — this summary from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is as decent as any — there are generally two major themes to distract domestic audiences. First, there is always much ado about the supposed innovations to political reporting (more in NEWSPEAK below). Second, Chinese state media trumpet their country’s growing international profile by turning their cameras on the foreign journalists attending the “two sessions.” Here is a typical example from China News Service about Mauro, a reporter from Brazil's TVT, who was offered the first question at a press conference on Monday and was clearly starstruck by the entire affair. Increasingly, the foreign journalists covering the sessions are either first-time participants on government-funded junkets, or outright plants there to lob softball questions (See our investigation last year).
China’s NPC, of course, can hardly distract from Typhoon Trump, as the US president constantly whips up news with which the entire world, including China, must grapple. In this edition we look at how one story, the explosive exchange at the White House last week between Trump and Zelensky, has made landfall in Taiwan. Enjoy!
David L. Bandurski
CMP Executive Director
FLASHPOINTS
Typhoon Trump
Today Ukraine, tomorrow Taiwan?
The blistering exchange between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office last week sparked a wave of hot takes across Taiwan's highly politicized media landscape, where Zelensky’s humiliation drew pressing parallels to the country's own tough position in the rift between two powers. One phrase that flashed in the headlines: “Today Ukraine, Tomorrow Taiwan” (今日烏克蘭，明日台灣).
Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported over the weekend that the Trump-Zelensky clash had reignited debates in Taiwan about “skepticism toward America” (疑美論), referring to the view — often also used in Chinese propaganda to divide opinion in Taiwanese society — that the US has no genuine commitment to the island’s defense. Meanwhile at Storm Media (風傳媒), Hsu Han Chi (徐寒之), an independent historian, observed that the perils facing Taiwan are greater than those of Ukraine, which continues to enjoy broad international recognition and a host of non-US allies. Taiwan's internal divisions, including its fractured government, the article warned, could prove catastrophic should America become more isolationist. In a follow-up piece at the same outlet, Hsu Mien-sheng (徐勉生), a former ambassador, called Zelensky’s White House visit a humiliation. He warned that Taiwan risked the same fate given US promises of protection he called unreliable. He concluded — noting Trump's supposed rapport with Xi Jinping and his refusal to speak up for Taiwan despite clear interests in the area of semiconductors — that the continued strategy of "clinging to America's leg" (緊抱美國大腿) could lead to an abandonment similar to that of Ukraine.
Media figures at the pro-China end of the spectrum, which tend to align with Taiwan’s pan-blue coalition, quickly pounced on the story. One example was Huang Chih-hsien (黃智賢), a writer and former host at CTi TV, under the staunchly pro-China Want Want China Times, who has publicly supported unification with China. Speaking to NowNews (今日新聞), Huang said of the White House blowup that "Taiwan's script is no different from Ukraine's." Picking up on Trump’s warning to Zelensky that "You’re not in a good position," Huang said Taiwan risked the same manipulation.
In coverage by the generally pro-unification TVBS (TVBS 新聞網), Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), a former chairman of the DPP who in the past has swung to support the pan-blue coalition, voiced disappointment with Trump's conduct in the exchange. “After a lifetime of effort, seeing America like this today makes me very sad,” he said. The article suggested, however, that this was a regression in US policy that would eventually moderate. Analyzing Taiwan’s defensive position in the report, Professor Lee Da-chung (李大中) of Tamkang University pointed out that Taiwan’s geographic position is both an advantage and disadvantage. While it deterred invasion, he said, it also complicated allied support. The article also noted the larger regional implications of a potential conflict, noting that residents of the Japanese island of Yonaguni, located just 111 kilometers from Taiwan, have grown anxious about military maneuvers in nearby waters.
NEWSPEAK
Hyping AI at the NPC
As the “two sessions” roll around each year, one way Chinese state media try to infuse the staid and scripted political pageantry with some semblance of excitement is through a sleight-of-hand focus on gimmicky reporting innovations. Five years ago, as the pandemic raged, international broadcaster CGTN hyped its “smart eyeglasses,” which it said could offer information in “a hands-free format.” This year the distractions are all about AI — not a surprise given that this is also a focus in Premier Li Qiang’s government work report, following the “AI+” policy introduced last year.
As NPC week kicked off, the team at People's Daily Online deployed several AI models, including DeepSeek and Douyin's Doubao (豆包), to respond to queries from ordinary citizens on the street. This was not rocket science. The chatbots simply mirrored official narratives — not at all a surprise given what our research has shown about the bias embedded by design in Chinese AI. Nevertheless, the site, affiliated with the CCP’s flagship People’s Daily newspaper, claimed that the chatbot approach bridged the "cognitive gap" between policy and everyday life, revealing the "happiness passwords" (幸福密码) lurking in the government’s benevolent policies.
As the “two meetings” kicked off this week, the government-run Shaanxi Online reported that AI was shaking up journalism at political sessions both nationally and locally. It cited the example of the robot "Kuafu" (夸父), which interviewed delegates to Shenzhen's local people’s congress two weeks ago. The same gimmick, in fact, was highlighted at the people’s congress in neighboring Dongguan, where a pair of AI robot reporters called "Xiao Wan" (小莞) and "Xiao Rong" (小融) were deployed to talk about foreign trade and AI. Is there a risk that human journalists will be displaced? Never fear, says Shaanxi Online. AI will expedite routine tasks for reporters, who will then be liberated to focus on investigative reporting. You don’t need fancy AI to explain that this is absurd. In China, the restrictions on in-depth and investigative journalism are political, not human or technical.
SPOTLIGHT
Ebbs and Flows
A bitter farewell to a unique voice in the Hong Kong exile community
Flow HK (如水), the first physical magazine created by overseas Hong Kongers following the territory's imposition of a national security law in 2020, said last week that its upcoming July 2025 issue will be its last — and that it has already dissolved its editorial committee. The publication, which has been circulated through post and independent bookstores as well as online, cited "increasingly scarce resources" as the immediate reason for the decision.
Flow HK has been one of the most distinctive and thoughtful voices on Hong Kong affairs throughout its four-year existence. In its most recent issue, the magazine grappled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Hong Kongers, both locally and in exile — including a special report on the trauma experienced by journalists. As an outspoken voice itself, Flow HK was not spared the trauma resulting from the long arm of the Hong Kong government and its National Security Department, operating under the direction of China's central government. In October 2024, Flow HK became the first overseas Hong Kong media outlet to be blocked within the city. In a letter sent to the website's server provider in the United States, Automattic Inc., Hong Kong authorities alleged that the outlet was in violation of the NSL.
At a RightsCon panel discussion on diaspora Hong Kong media, attended by our team at Tian Jian (田間), participants identified current Hong Kong residents as their primary audience but noted a number of looming challenges — including a shortage of funding, transnational repression, lack of staffing resources, and difficulty engaging with readers (often owing to security concerns). Panelists stressed that since the closure in June 2021 of Apple Daily (蘋果日報), the pro-democracy paper founded by now-jailed publisher Jimmy Lai (黎智英), preserving Hong Kong voices has become more critical than ever. The loss of the distinctive voice offered by Flow HK is certainly a painful one. But in its Facebook announcement, the outlet grasped for a silver lining: "Hiatus and reorganization are not an end, but an opportunity for reflection and adjustment."
For more on Flow HK and its history, read this excellent report in translation from Taiwan’s The Reporter (報導者).
IN THE NEWS
Artificial Affections
In the brave new world of AI, romance can have real-world consequences. According to Chinese media, one unsuspecting man from Shanghai learned this lesson the hard way as he discovered that his online girlfriend of two months was in fact an artificial intelligence persona generated by a fraud ring that had so far scammed victims out of an estimated two million RMB, close to 300 thousand dollars. First reported by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) as a cautionary tale on the dangers of AI, the story grabbed attention across social media over the weekend. It was reported across major online platforms, including Shanghai's The Paper (澎湃) and NetEase (网易).
Identified in news stories only as “Mr. Liu,” the Shanghai victim reported to police that he had met "Ms. Jiao" through a short video in August 2024. The exchanges soon developed into what Liu characterized as a romantic relationship, and "Ms. Jiao" began requesting money, which she claimed she needed for a family medical emergency. “Ms. Jiao” was even able to produce fabricated identity cards and medical records — but Liu finally grew suspicious after realizing that although he had fallen hard he had never actually met his online girlfriend. A subsequent police investigation revealed that photos and videos of "Ms. Jiao" were generated using AI technology and image manipulation software.
NOT IN THE NEWS
Silent Shouts
A major protest in Shandong gets coverage nowhere.
As more than a thousand workers thronged a steel enterprise in coastal Shandong province last month with angry shouts of "Give back our money!" they were confronted by hundreds of police and auxiliary officers. But it's not a story that made the headlines — at least not in China. The protests, which included workers, investors, and suppliers demanding unpaid wages and fund settlements, broke out on February 17 outside the Shandong Taishan Steel Group (山东泰山钢铁集团), an enterprise controlled by Wang Yongsheng (王永胜), a former delegate to Shandong’s provincial people’s congress. The company reportedly faced a cash flow crisis for which some blamed local officials.
Reports from Radio Taiwan International and Radio Free Asia drew on a post made to X by “Teacher Li is Not Your Teacher” (李老师不是你老是), who has faced transnational repression from the Chinese government for his regular monitoring of grassroots protests and other breaking news. According to a subsequent report from Taiwan’s Liberty Times newspaper, the local government district bore some blame for the company’s woes, having ordered its relocation two years ago in exchange for compensation that never materialized. Strapped for cash last year, the report said, the district government also borrowed from the company to pay wages, leaving it vulnerable to a cash flow crisis.
Since 2023, worker-led protests demanding unpaid wages have increased sharply across China, with Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor documenting more than 700 labor protests. These demonstrations have been concentrated primarily in Guangdong, Shandong, Sichuan, Henan, and Zhejiang provinces.
SHORT STORIES
| Hong Kong |
Disbanding Democracy
Hong Kong's Democratic Party announced late last month that it was moving toward disbandment after more than three decades. Chairman Lo Kin-hei (羅健熙) cited the "overall political environment," noting that "developing democracy in Hong Kong is always difficult, especially over the past few years." The government-run Ta Kung Pao (大公報) celebrated the news, describing the party as having "died at a ripe old age" (壽終正寢) while claiming — without evidence — that it had "completely lost popular support" (盡失民心). The outlet, of course, deliberately sidestepped how Beijing's increasingly restrictive policies have left opposition parties with no viable political path.
| Malaysia |
Anchored to AI Hype
Last month, the Malaysian state broadcaster RTM introduced an AI news anchor on its Chinese-language evening news broadcast. AI presenter Lim Zhi Yuan (林智元) now delivers a three-minute AI-generated news segment during the prime-time Chinese-language news hour, Oriental Daily reports. Malaysia’s deputy communications minister, Teo Nie Ching (张念群), rushed to emphasize that AI anchors would not replace human journalists, which he said “remain essential pillars in the news field." But AI applications, she said, could cut down on repetitive work and free up news teams to focus on more creative and in-depth reporting. Where have we heard that before?
| China |
Xinhua Reporter Questions Li Keqiang's Death
A former senior journalist with China’s official Xinhua News Agency has been sentenced to prison and stripped of his retirement benefits after questioning the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in December 2023. Gu Wanming (顾万明), who once led the agency’s Guangdong bureau, was sentenced to one year in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" after publishing an open letter demanding an investigation into the circumstances of Li's death in Shanghai. According to a report from Taiwan's Central News Agency, Gu's letter called for postponing cremation until an investigative committee could be formed.
CMP IN THE HEADLINES
Rehabilitating DeepSeek
California-based Bespoke Labs seemed to notch a victory in January with its latest AI model built off China's DeepSeek-R1. The model, Bespoke-Stratos-32B, initially seemed to answer questions openly — and it trended on Hugging Face's leaderboard of most-downloaded applications. But caution is in order, CMP’s Alex Colville writes. Ask the model about Taiwan, and it quickly reveals its underlying bias. It first cautions that there are "differing perspectives" before asserting outright that "Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory" and that reunification "is in the fundamental interests of compatriots on both sides." This language perfectly parrots the position of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite multiple companies' attempts to retrain DeepSeek models to remove pro-CCP biases, these political framings persist stubbornly in systems Western companies claim to have rehabilitated. As AI increasingly drives global information flows, these embedded political biases in Chinese models pose a significant threat to information integrity — a challenge that deserves greater attention from us all.
COMMEMORATIONS
Green and White
Alex Colville visits Taiwan’s Green Island.
A solitary volcanic outcrop off Taiwan's south-east coast, Green Island is a desolate place. The lack of trees on the high slopes has earned it the moniker "Burnt Island" (火烧岛) — an apt name for the frustrated hopes of those once imprisoned here by the Nationalist KMT regime. For forty years, from 1951 through to the end of the Martial Law period in 1987, the island's northern coast played host to a penal colony for political prisoners. In 2001, the site was rechristened the "Green Island White Terror Memorial Park," and its once impregnable gates thrown open to the public. Today, visitors can wander the concrete barracks, past walls crested with razor wire, and hemmed on one side by the island's high karst cliffs.
I visited the park on February 28, the national holiday known simply as "228" here in Taiwan. The day is steeped in political significance in today's Taiwan. 228 marked the start, in 1947, of a month-long killing spree by the Nationalists across the island. Taiwanese citizens, disillusioned by government corruption and inefficiency, had launched a wave of protests. In response, the authorities rounded up and executed thousands of civilians without trial. For many, the incident marked the start of a thirty-eight year-long suspension of civil liberties by the KMT, the "White Terror" that gives the park its name.
For excellent coverage of “228” and its significance for today’s Taiwan, see the dedicated section at The Reporter (報導者), which includes a recent feature on the incident as a “catalyst for awakening” of Taiwanese identity.
your tone about China is disrespectful and disgusting smart ass.