China’s propaganda chiefs told to ‘sing loudly about bright economic prospects’

Cai Qi, president’s chief of staff, calls for ‘positive publicity and public opinion guidance’
Beijing is trying to revive confidence in the economy as the country grapples with a downturn

China’s Communist Party

Sylvie Zhuangin Beijing

Published: 4:01pm, 4 Jan 2024

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The president’s chief of staff has urged propaganda officials to talk up China’s economic prospects, part of efforts to boost public confidence amid a slowdown.

Cai Qi made the remarks at an annual gathering of the nation’s propaganda chiefs in Beijing on Wednesday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

“[We should] continue to strengthen positive publicity and public opinion guidance, and sing loudly about China’s bright economic prospects,” Cai was quoted as saying.

He told the hundreds of officials to focus on building confidence in China’s future economic situation and to ensure the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda, ideology and cultural work “always progresses in the right direction”.

Li Shulei, who heads the party’s propaganda department, said there should be more efforts to guide public opinion and present China’s image on the world stage more effectively, as well as to prevent and resolve “ideological risks”, according to the report.

President Xi Jinping called for officials to promote a more positive image of the economy at a meeting in December. Photo: Xinhua via AP

It comes as Beijing has been trying to stamp out negativity about the economy and revive confidence amid a sluggish post-pandemic recovery and exodus of foreign capital.

In December, at the annual central economic work conference in Beijing, President Xi Jinping called for officials to promote a more positive image of the economy and its “bright” outlook.

Efforts to avert bad news have intensified in the past year, as the economy struggled to find its footing following the easing of tough pandemic restrictions that had suppressed growth.

A worsening property sector, record-high youth unemployment and a rapidly ageing population are among the challenges Beijing is facing.

Rising tensions with the United States – including over trade issues – and a de-risking approach proposed by the European Union to reduce reliance on China’s supply chain have added to the country’s economic woes.

The top spy agency last month called on the public to be cautious about a “false narrative” that was “discrediting” China’s economy. In an article on its official WeChat social media account, the Ministry of State Security said China was grappling with a “complex and uncertain” external environment and that the economy was a major battleground between rival powers.

It said attempts to spread the narrative that China is in economic decline were part of efforts to contain and suppress its growth.

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Discussion about mounting local government debt, wealth inequality and the exchange rate of the yuan – which slumped to a 16-year low against the US dollar in September – are regularly silenced on Chinese social media.

Beijing also stopped publishing its monthly youth unemployment data in August after it reached a record high, with more that one in five people in China aged 16 to 24 out of work.