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Propaganda strategy meeting in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in progress on 2 September 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Telling China\u2019s story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The latest propaganda center was established during the \u201cRoundtable Meeting on Building an Effective International Communication System for Tibet,\u201d which was jointly organized by the Propaganda Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee and the China Foreign Language Bureau. This center is an outcome of the group study session<\/a> of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee in May 2021. The immediate outcome of the Politburo CCP Central Committee appears to be the party-state\u2019s push to replace the internationally recognized country name \u201cTibet\u201d with the sinicized term \u201cXizang\u201d in global conversation. This renaming policy, discreetly initiated in fall 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, aligns with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping\u2019s decade-old vision to \u201ctell a good Chinese story\u201d on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the establishment of the new propaganda center, the CCP\u2019s top leader in the Tibet Autonomous Region emphasized increased external propaganda on Tibet. The state media Tibet Daily<\/a> reported TAR Party Secretary Wang Junzheng stressing on the ideological guidance in stating that \u201cexternal propaganda is an important part of the cause of the Party and the country. We must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping\u2019s cultural thought, thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping\u2019s important expositions on external propaganda, fully and accurately implement General Secretary Xi Jinping\u2019s important instructions on Tibet work and the Party\u2019s Tibet governance strategy in the new era.\u201d Specific instructions were also transmitted to the CCP committees at all levels to prioritize the external propaganda work. Wang instructed resource integration and optimization of the external propaganda system and mechanisms to \u201cbuild a foreign discourse system and narrative system related to Tibet\u201d in accordance with the CCP central leadership\u2019s order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ICT anticipates a significant escalation in China\u2019s efforts to dominate the global conversation on Tibet. This strategy is expected to unfold through several key channels in China\u2019s \u201cmulti-channel, three-dimensional external communication\u201d strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leveraging State-Controlled Media<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n China is likely to intensify its use of state-controlled global media platforms to disseminate its narrative on Tibet. In February 2024, state media China Daily signed an agreement with the China Tibetology Research Center<\/a> (an entity under the control of the CCP\u2019s United Front) to \u201cjointly establish the Tibetology International Communication Center and carry out in-depth cooperation in the production of international communication products related to Tibet, platform construction, and talent training.\u201d The China Global Television Network (CGTN), as part of the China Media Group, operates under the direct control of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party and is expected to have a role in this propaganda initiative. This positioning allows for the strategic dissemination of China\u2019s perspective on Tibetan issues to a global audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quotes carried by the Chinese state media<\/a> reporting on the propaganda roundtable in Lhasa indicate China\u2019s external propaganda to focus on \u201cstory telling\u201d unlike the past focus on data driven propaganda. David Ferguson, a foreign propaganda hire and editor of the English versions of \u201cXi Jinping: The Governance of China,\u201d advises China\u2019s propaganda to focus on \u201cstory telling\u201d of external propaganda narratives as a superior tactic than \u201cmonotonous data\u201d driven propaganda to \u201cwin attention and hearts around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinese academics Zhan Xun and Zhao Lifang advised China to use \u201coverseas new media platforms, and use vlogs, short videos and other means\u201d to spread China\u2019s propaganda on Tibet in terms of content and form. These and other tactics were also discussed during the Chinese conference in Lhasa to tell \u201cTibetan chapter of the Chinese story in a more effective and contemporary way\u201d; a phrasing consistent with China\u2019s overall approach to external propaganda, which emphasizes presenting a positive narrative about China\u2019s governance of Tibet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pressure on International Bodies and expansion of \u201ccultural and educational programs\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n International organizations and governments are expected to face increased pressure to adopt China\u2019s narrative on Tibet. This may include diplomatic efforts to influence policy decisions and public statements regarding Tibet\u2019s status and relationship with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China is anticipated to broaden its \u201ccultural and educational\u201d initiatives that present a China-centric view of Tibetan history and culture. These programs are likely to be part of the party-state\u2019s implementation of \u201cconstruction of a multi-channel, three-dimensional external communication\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ICT is concerned that the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s intensified propaganda efforts may further marginalize Tibetan voices and obscure the ongoing oppression in Tibet. This concern is well-founded, given China\u2019s extensive use of modern technology and media platforms to control information and shape narratives about Tibet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ICT calls on the international community to critically examine China\u2019s propaganda efforts in the international forum. China has been actively working to influence global conversation on Tibet through various means, including academic symposiums, international forums, and media campaigns. The push to counter China\u2019s narrative of \u201chigh-quality development\u201d in Tibet is particularly important, as this term is often used to gloss over human rights concerns and cultural suppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ICT commends the UN human rights experts most recent communication<\/a> demanding answers regarding China\u2019s repression of dam protests in Tibet in light of the Kamtok (Chinese: Gangtuo) dam protest<\/a> in Derge, eastern Tibet, which occurred earlier this year. Such international scrutiny is vital in challenging China\u2019s narrative and bringing attention to the realities on the ground in Tibet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the latest escalation of China\u2019s efforts to control the narrative on Tibet, a new propaganda center called the \u201cTibet International Communication Center\u201d was launched in Lhasa on 2 September 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13056,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie":[691],"news_tag":[674],"class_list":["post-13055","nieuws","type-nieuws","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie-news","news_tag-chinese-policy-and-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/savetibet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Propaganda_Lhasa02-1200x630-1-800x420.jpg\")
Official launch of the \u201cTibet International Communication Center\u201d to boost China\u2019s propaganda on Tibet<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nExpected Future Developments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/savetibet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Propaganda_Lhasa03-1200x630-1-800x420.jpg\")
Qu Yingpu, President and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily (back row, first from left), and Chen Zongrong, Party Secretary of the China Tibetology Research Center seen at the signing ceremony to establish the Tibetology International Communication Center in February 2024<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nImplications and Concerns<\/h4>\n\n\n\n