Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua headquarters office in Beijing, its design embodying the shape of a pencil | |
Native name | 新华通讯社 |
|---|---|
| Formerly | Red China News Agency (1931–1937) |
| Company type | State news agency |
| Industry | |
| Founded | November 1931, in Ruijin, Jiangxi, Chinese Soviet Republic |
| Founder | Chinese Communist Party |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Owner | People's Republic of China (state-owned institution) |
| Parent | State Council of China |
| Subsidiaries | Xinhuanet Reference News China Xinhua News Network Corporation CNC World |
| Website | www |
| Xinhua News Agency | |||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 新华通讯社 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 新華通訊社 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | New China News Agency | ||||||||||
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| Abbreviated name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 新华社 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 新華社 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | New China Agency | ||||||||||
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Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: /ˌʃɪnˈhwɑː/ SHIN-HWA, lit. 'New China'), or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ministry-level institution of the State Council. It is the country's largest media outlet.
In November 1931, the Red China News Agency was established by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Soviet Zone of Ruijin. At the end of the Long March in November 1935, it was renamed to Xinhua. The agency established its first overseas branches during World War II, beginning to broadcast to foreign countries in English in 1944. After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, it became the official state news agency. In 1957, Xinhua switched from a journal format to a newspaper format.
Xinhua is both a publisher and a news agency; it publishes in multiple languages and serves as a channel for distributing information related to the Chinese government and the ruling CCP. Its headquarters in Beijing are located close to the central government's headquarters at Zhongnanhai, and its head, Fu Hua, is a member of the CCP Central Committee. Xinhua tailors its pro-Chinese government message to the nuances of each international audience. The organization has faced criticism for spreading propaganda and disinformation as well as criticizing people, groups, or movements critical of the Chinese government and its policies.