The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
It is forbidden to report in a critical manner on the “USD 270 billion Sino-Russian oil agreement” or the “USD 24 billion Sino-Russian currency exchange agreement.” If in the course of reporting you must touch on these agreements, you must describe their positive elements. You may refer to “long-term benefit,” “Sino-Russian friendship,” “weapons cooperation,” and similar topics. (December 17, 2014)
禁止以批判形式报道“2700亿美元中俄石油协议”和“240亿美元中俄货币互换协议”。若报道中确有必要提及此两协议，务必以积极的基调叙述，可提及诸如“长远利益”、“中俄友谊”、“武器合作”等话题。 [Chinese]
China offered unspecified assistance to Russia over the weekend. The value of the ruble has dropped dramatically in the past few weeks, as Western sanctions pinch the economy. The assistance may come as expansion of a three-year currency swap worth RMB 150 billion (USD 24 billion) the two countries agreed to in October. In summer 2013, the Russian energy giant Rosneft committed to supplying China with USD 270 billion worth of oil in the next 25 years.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
