New Russian news service Sputnik aims to beam down in Chinese

New Russian news service Sputnik aims to beam down in Chinese

Russia is launching a state-backed Chinese language news service as a way to get Moscow's views across to a part of the world that is an increasing strategic focus of the United States. 

New Russian news service Sputnik aims to beam down in Chinese
MOSCOW: Russia has launched a state-backed Chinese language news service called Sputnik to counter what it calls Western propaganda and provide an alternative interpretation of the world, signaling Moscow’s determination to react as the U.S. moves with a broad-based “pivot” to Asia in political and military focus, Channel NewsAsia reports.


Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched into orbit by the former Soviet Union in 1957, piping the United States and igniting a space race between the two superpowers and considered a major achievement in rocketry.


For Russia, the lineage may be important as it hopes to broadcast over the platform in more than 30 languages, but initially the Chinese focus will include a broadcast centre that will be co-staffed by Chinese and Russian journalists for round-the-clock news for use by Chinese-speaking journalists.


The Chinese service is part of a larger government media organization, and the Moscow newsroom shares a building with many of its sister brands such as its neighbor, the Russian state media service dedicated entirely to reporting events in Ukraine.


But the editor of the service said state financing and control shouldn't impact Sputnik's role in the worldwide media industry.


"I think it never hurts to have one more source of information, and we're going to provide one more source of information, in addition to other sources of information that already exist," said Chief Editor Dmitry Sobiev, head of the the Beijing Bureau for Sputnik Chinese News Service.


And Sergei Kotchekov, first deputy editor at Russian state news agency 'Rossiya Segodnya', said the relationship to China is a broad one.


"Russia is pivoting to the East,” Kotchekov said, speaking in Russian. “We have wonderful ties with China. We hope that they will develop and continue. We're launching big communications campaigns directed towards our Chinese partners. We're telling them about life in Russia, about foreign policy and Russian companies. We're trying to promote the image of Russian business there."


But with the rouble already having lost almost half its value against the US dollar this year, some Russians question why millions of dollars are being invested in this media project, as the country teeters on the brink of recession.



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Source : channelnewsasia.com

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