By elevating global celebrities who embrace Chinese identity, Beijing strengthens its cultural diplomacy toolkit, projecting soft power beyond its borders. Following Chinese investment trends, in November 2025, Chinese state-owned media, China Media Group, entered into a cooperation agreement with the state-owned equivalent in South Korea: Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) (Jie 2025). The distribution of Chinese media ventures demonstrates that an important aspect of CCP statecraft involves media acquisition, investment, and control, including the attraction of international audiences. Finally, Chinese pop idols function as effective vehicles for digital narrative framing in an era of fragmented attention. China’s cultural export model is not confined to East Asia.

Source: New York Times January 08, 2026 23:40 UTC