| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | China Daily Group |
| Editor | Zhu Ling (Editor in Chief since October 2004) |
| Founded | June 1, 1981 |
| Political alignment | Conservative |
| Headquarters | 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Circulation | 500,000+ |
| Official website | http://www.chinadaily.com.cn |
The China Daily (Chinese: 中国日报; pinyin: Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.
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China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation (over 500,000 per issue, of which a third is abroad) of any English-language newspaper in the country. The editorial office is in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, and the newspaper has branch offices in most major cities of China as well as several major foreign cities including New York City, Washington, D.C., and London. The paper is published by satellite in the United States, Hong Kong, and Europe.[1][2]
Published Monday to Saturday,[3] it is regarded as the English-language "window into China" and is often used as a guide to official policies. It claims to serve an increasing number of foreigners in China, as well as Chinese who wish to improve their English. The editorial policies differ in being slightly more liberal than run-of-the-mill Chinese-language newspapers. The stated goals of the newspaper are the objective presentation of "China and China's news to a unique group of readers and providing services and entertainment specially suited to those readers."[4] Of all mainland Chinese newspapers, China Daily's reporting is claimed most resemble Western journalism, but it is still clearly more controlled than most international media. [5] On its first publication on June 1, 1981, most of its journalists were Chinese nationals, some of whom had trained in Western institutions.[6] Most of the paper's editorial staff are still Chinese, whose English reports are 'polished' by a small group of expatriate editors employed on short-term contracts.
Unlike newspapers outside of mainland China, like the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, which has its own set of laws and customs regarding press freedom, expatriates hold no senior editorial or management positions in China Daily.
China Daily faced no international competition until the English-language Global Times started in 2009.[7] It specifically targets an international audience, and is often given out for free in hotels. It is also intended to be read by foreign diplomats and tourists as it translates major Chinese media articles in its editorials. The paper also offers programme guides to Radio Beijing and television, daily exchange rates, local entertainment schedules and national and world news.[8]
For the most part, the paper portrays the official policy of the PRC. [9] The editor of the paper has told foreign editors that the paper's editorial policy was to back the Party line and criticize the authorities only if there was deviation from party policy. Despite this, a number of editorials intend to give serious critical comments on both domestic and international issues.[7]
Foreign editors at the paper have been told that like most other state-owned enterprises, China Daily will no longer receive subsidies and the publication group is expected to steadily improve profit margins. The paper has thus adopted a more commercial approach and its editorial content is being pitched increasingly towards a wider range of readers so as to attract more advertising revenue. Much of the publishing group's revenue comes from real estate investments.[10]
The online website of China Daily, located at Chinadaily.com.cn, was established in December 1995, becoming one of the first major Chinese newspapers to have an online presence. It has editions in three languages; Chinese, English, and French. The English language edition contains one of China's largest English language forums, which provides a medium of discussion for topics politics, economics, entertainment, and English lessons. However, the forum has moderators that limits posts critical of government policies and others deemed violations of posting guidelines.[11]
China Daily is organized into six sections.[12]
As a newspaper group, the China Daily Group also publishes 21st Century, Beijing Weekend, China Business Weekly, the China Daily Hong Kong Edition, China Daily Asia Weekly, China Daily US Edition, China Daily European Edition and Zhejiang Weekly. The China Daily is a member of the Asia News Network.
The China Daily Hong Kong Edition (traditional Chinese: 中國日報香港版; simplified Chinese: 中国日报香港版; pinyin: Zhōngguó Rìbào Xiānggǎng Bǎn), has been published since October 6, 1997 and aims to report the policies and directions of the PRC government, politics, economy, and social and cultural issues of both mainland China and Hong Kong. It is the only official English-language newspaper published by the PRC government in Hong Kong and Macau.
The China Daily Asia Weekly is a tabloid sized pan Asia edition of the China Daily Hong Kong Edition. The 24 page newspaper launched on December 9, 2010 in Hong Kong. Zhou Li, editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Weekly, told the Statesman of India: “Our long-term aspiration is to be a reference point on China and the rest of Asia for the region’s readers.”
China Daily Asia Weekly is a member of Asia News Network (ANN). A group of 21 newspapers, including The Nation of Thailand, The Star of Malaysia, The Jakarta Post of Indonesia, The Straits Times of Singapore, The Statesman of India, The Korean Herald of South Korea, Daily Yomiuri of Japan and others.
China Daily Asia Weekly is currently distributed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
China Daily's USA edition, based in New York City, incorporates extensive news coverage from the Americas.