China: Propaganda Struggles could Intensify

Meanwhile, the government is throwing cash at state media as it tries to reshape its image and expand its global influence. Last year, a new English-language paper and Arabic and Russian TV channels were launched; this year, experts say, there could be not one but two international channels – a 24-hour English news service and one providing Chinese business coverage – in an attempt to pull off the tricky feat of creating "a Chinese CNN".

Yu Guoming, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University, predicts 2010 may also see programme-making separated from broadcasting, encouraging the production of non-news programmes by a wider range of entities. Meanwhile, Chinese users will increasingly access news and entertainment via the internet, with the online population, already the largest in the world at around 360 million, continuing to rocket.

But some warn of financial troubles on the horizon, and struggles with propaganda officials could intensify. "2010 will be an interesting year," says Jeremy Goldkorn, the founder of danwei.org, which covers media and internet issues and is a Guardian partner. He argues that 2009 saw freewheeling political discussion and citizen activism on the internet becoming mainstream, but facing tighter censorship.