Previous week the cabinet approved the signing of an MOU with China’s Xinhua News Agency for the state-run media outlet in Sri Lanka, before Anura visited China. Diplomatic corps in Colombo raised eyebrows on this. Xinhua News Agency is a news agency that has been accused by Western countries of spying on their countries. In 2016, India refused to extend the visas of Xinhua News Agency journalists and expelled them from the country. India alleged they indulged in activities beyond their journalistic brief.
In a damning 2005 report, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), based on an investigation and interviews with serving and former Xinhua journalists, described the organization as the “world’s biggest propaganda agency” that is at the “heart of censorship and disinformation put in place” by the Communist party.
In August 2012, Canadian journalist Mark Bourrie quit working for Xinhua after accusing it of directing him to spy on the Dalai Lama in Ottawa.
Bourrie alleged his Chinese bureau chief wanted him to use his parliamentary press accreditation to cover the Tibetan spiritual leader’s news conference, gather information on the Dalai Lama’s meeting with the Canadian prime minister, and turn over all notes and materials without writing any reports. He also alleged there were individuals within Xinhua who acted as “spies” to monitor the Falun Gong spiritual movement and critics of the Chinese government.”.
Several Western intelligence agencies have for long suspected that Xinhua has links to China’s spy agencies.
In the US, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a Congressional body that monitors national security issues, said in a 2009 report that Xinhua “also serves some of the functions of an intelligence agency, gathering information and producing classified reports for the Chinese leadership on both domestic and international events.
Xinhua began in 1931 as the Red China News Agency. Its vision was to spread Chinese propaganda. It is not clear why the NPP government decided to link the state media with China’s Xinhua Agency. The NPP government may be trying to follow the state media as Xinhua News Agency. Xinhua News Agency is used as a media tool of the Chinese Communist Party. It is a mystery how the NPP government would link the state media with such a media model.
Sri Lanka received television as a Japanese aid as a result of a request from the then President J.R. At that time, Sri Lankan television services had become popular even in Tamil Nadu, India. Tamil Nadu newspapers at that time published the Sri Lankan television program schedule. Tamil Nadu was interested in purchasing colour televisions because of Sri Lankan television. Radio Ceylon too was very popular in India.
It is unclear how Japan and India, in particular, will view the state media in Sri Lanka being linked to China’s Xinhua News Agency. It is also uncertain how the free media movement will accept the state media being linked to China’s Xinhua. The JVP strongly criticized the way the state media behaved when it was in opposition. They promised to change state media policies after coming to power. However, the Chinese Communist Party’s controlled Xinhua joining hands with Sri Lanka state media will only bring state media under further government control, and there is no hope of any reduction.
This MOU was approved before President Anura visited China. It was at China’s request. The relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is historic. There may also be a close relationship between Xinhua and the JVP media. It is uncertain what is behind its expansion into state media now. It is also vague what China’s expectations are from this. Xinhua signed an agreement with Russian state media in 2015. But Russia is not a democracy. It is not surprising that Xinhua is associated with Russian media. What is surprising is that the state media of Sri Lanka, a democratic country, is associating with Xinhua.
