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.
For all media, any recent reports about the United States must strictly conform with the central media; any news relating to China-U.S. relations must use Xinhua copy. Any news about Trump must be handled carefully; unauthorized criticism of Trump’s words or actions is not allowed. (January 13, 2017) [Chinese]
Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States on Friday, January 20. Since his election in November, tensions between his transition team and the Chinese government have flared over a number of issues including Taiwan, trade, and the South China Sea.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. Some instructions are issued by local authorities or to specific sectors, and may not apply universally across China. 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. See CDT’s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth since 2011.
