CCTV And Al Jazeera International – A New Trends
A new trend that is sprouting rapidly across the world is the provision of news channels through TV International and Al Jazeera America. As a result of government pressure, both CCTV China closed down their bureaus in Beijing and Taipei, but the decision was reversed by the Chinese government to increase their presence in many local TV stations. In response, Al Jazeera America went on a major expansion spree and added several Middle Eastern and Arab television stations including Al Jazeera English which later became known as TV International.
The US is now trying to follow suit with the Chinese government and has made official a proposal from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner who is reportedly working on a deal between China and the United States to increase trade and promote economic dialogue. This follows a similar proposal from the European Commission last year. Both of these moves are designed to promote economic growth in China and to make its products more marketable internationally but in doing so it will also help the Chinese gain more access to other forms of media and information outside China. The US is already closely allied with China as it shares much of its interests in world trade and economic cooperation and its desire to become a dominant power in the international scene.
In some ways the increased presence of CCTV and Al Jazeera international could be beneficial for China-US relations but at the same time it could hinder US businesses that have been taking advantage of the free market and have been capitalizing on the opportunities that international media offers. With CCTV and Al Jazeera international getting into the market, Chinese citizens will have access to more global news and current affairs but at the same time this will limit their ability to understand, compare and get an opinion on the local news. As China grows as a great power globally the growing presence of international media will only benefit Chinese-US relations, make China a stronger country overall and open up the world to Chinese goods and services. But it will all be in vain if the enormous propaganda machine will not be able to control the flow of information.