China's New Media Milieu

CNA China Studies -- In June 2004, CNA China Studies hosted a two-day conference on China’s media system. The conference took place early in Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao’s reigns as President and Premier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). At the time, it was perceived that there was a potential for real and fundamental change in China’s approach to media governance. The conference itself was an effort to capture the full spectrum of economic, technological, and ideological change taking place in China’s media environment, the implications of such changes, and the potential for deeper reform in the coming years.

In addition to underscoring new developments, paper presenters did an excellent job of describing continuity—that which has remained unchanged despite dramatic economic, social, and political developments shaping China and its media environment since the early 1980s. This includes enduring efforts to maintain content control and reluctance on the part of the PRC’s government to allow for private ownership of media enterprises.

What made this conference unique was the mix of contributing authors. Throughout the conference, an effort was made to describe changes from multiple perspectives. Academics who contributed were selected from mainland China, Hong Kong, and the West. PRC-based media professionals included foreign media correspondents serving in China, as well as Chinese nationals working in the PRC media complex.

The result was an impressive collection of recognized experts and new voices discussing  continuity and change in China’s media with a level of sophistication not found in many discussions on China’s media. Today, as we near the end of the Hu-Wen Administration, one is struck with the enduring value of these conference papers.