China Daily
Chinese state (Chinese Communist Party)
Background
China Daily was launched on June 1, 1981, as China's first national English-language daily, headquartered in Beijing. It is owned by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party and is the country's largest English-language newspaper. It was created to explain Chinese government policy and Chinese society to foreigners, including diplomats, business people and students. Since the 2000s it has expanded abroad with U.S., European and Asian editions, a large digital and social media presence, and paid 'China Watch' inserts in outlets such as The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In the U.S., it registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and in 2020 the State Department designated its U.S. operations as a foreign mission. Like other Chinese state media, it does not operate independently of the government or Party. It reliably backs official positions on Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, and rarely reports critically on Party leadership. Its coverage of the second Trump administration generally blames U.S. tariffs and export controls for trade tensions and stresses China's calls for dialogue. The tone has softened toward cooperation since the Trump-Xi summit and the reciprocal tariff-cut lists announced in late September 2026. Readers should treat it as an authoritative source for Beijing's official messaging, not as independent reporting.
Sources
- China Daily - Wikipedia
- China Daily - Simple English Wikipedia
- U.S., China reach $30 billion tariff deal after Trump-Xi summit (Axios)
- US and China agree to cut tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods (CNN)
Profile compiled 2026-10-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.