(December 1955)
Xinhua News Agency has done some work in recent years. However, it has sent far too few correspondents abroad; it lacks independent news coverage, and what little it does have is insufficient. Why is this? Is it because there is a shortage of personnel? China is so large—can it really not spare any staff? Or has the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee simply failed to take adequate oversight in the past?
We should embark on a major expansion and, as quickly as possible, establish a presence with our own correspondents around the globe, capable of transmitting our own reports. We must effectively “manage” the entire planet, ensuring that our voice can be heard worldwide.
[1]
This instruction was issued by Mao Zedong in response to the Xinhua News Agency’s then-conservative thinking and sluggish pace in developing its international operations.