The Guardian reports on the launch of the English-language edition of Global Times:
The editor has said that he expects to lose 20m yuan (£2m) in the first year of publication. But the English-language edition of the Global Times is about more than profit. It is part of the Chinese government’s drive to promote its views to an international audience and reshape the country’s reputation.
“For China, the new English edition is one more channel to deliver its voice to the world,” an upbeat editorial promised.
The country already has an English language paper: the staid official broadsheet the China Daily. In comparison, the Chinese edition of the Global Times has built a reputation as a lively, nationalist and popular tabloid despite belonging to the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece for the party. Its circulation is well over a million.
Despite his promise not to shy away from sensitive issues, the paper’s editor, Hu Xijin, faces a tough challenge in winning international readers. Many Chinese people are scathing in their views of the official media, thanks to the country’s extensive censorship.
