On August 21, the Chinese government announced the appointment of Communist Party member and former internet regulator Xu Lin as head of the nation’s new propaganda department.
According to Time magazine, Xu Lin’s job is to advance the image of China as a “progressive force for good in the world” even as the country faces criticism for alleged unfair trading practices, human rights abuses and militarization of island claims in the South China Sea.
The state-controlled media under President Xi Jinping wants to counter negative depictions of the country as oppressive and promote Beijing’s approach on global political, economic and cultural matters. Xi also wants to promote his trillion-dollar “Belt and Road” initiative, which seeks to link China with other parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond through transportation and infrastructure projects.
