In a move that highlights China’s expanding use of institutions down to the local level to supercharge the state’s global influence efforts, the School of Foreign Languages at Xi’an Jiaotong University, a leading public university in the central Chinese city, has formed a partnership with a center run by the province’s propaganda office.
On March 5, the Shaanxi International Communication Center (陕西国际传播中心), or SICC, a provincial-level external propaganda office formed in December 2023 through the state-run Shaanxi Radio and Television Group — directly under the propaganda office of the provincial CCP committee (中共陕西省委宣传部) — announced that it would partner with the university to work on international communication issues using “interdisciplinary approaches.” The goal, according to state media coverage, is to provide “talent guarantees” for “telling Shaanxi stories” and promoting Chinese culture internationally, both references to the broader the state-driven goal of expanding China’s global influence, which Xi Jinping has advanced under the phrase “telling China’s story well” (讲好中国故事).
The agreement, signed by School Dean Chen Xiangjing (陈向京) and SICC Director Wang Dong (王冬), who is also a ranking provincial propaganda official, further underscores the serious ethical issues at play as China blurs the lines between higher education and state propaganda in its efforts to address a shortage of talent for its ambitious external communication goals as set by Xi Jinping.
Since its formation in late 2023, the SICC claims to have built a “global communication matrix” targeting neighboring countries in Central Asia through branded platforms on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube, both services that are blocked in China.
The SICC also, like a number of China’s expanding international communication centers, has a vertical relationship with China Daily, the state-run newspaper directly under the State Council Information Office (in practice, the very same office as the Central Propaganda Department) whose primary role is to advance the government’s external communication.
According to the agreement signed last week, the two sides pledged to establish a “dual-purpose base” (双基地) for talent cultivation and research, including a “Graduate Collaborative Education Base” (研究生协同培养育人基地) between the university and Shaanxi Broadcasting and Media Group, as well as the launch of an “International Communication and External Discourse Innovation Center” (国际传播与对外话语创新中心).
