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Reporters Without Borders said China’s influence on Thai media through diplomatic pressure, media cooperation, and visits and exchanges risks weakening editorial autonomy and intensifying self-censorship.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that China has used diplomatic pressure, media cooperation, and invitations in recent yearsThailand Journalists travel to China to increase their influence on Thai media. Some Thai journalists worry that Beijing’s influence could undermine news editorial independence and lead to media self-censorship.
Reporters Without Borders released an article on the 6th saying that they interviewed several Thai journalists and found that the Chinese government, through the Embassy in Thailand, pressured Thai media to avoid publishing content that Beijing does not agree with. Most interviewees requested to remain anonymous to avoid retribution.
As an example in this article, Thai PBS broadcast an exclusive interview with then-Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on November 3, 2023, and made the entire interview public on the Internet. China in ThailandEmbassy Later, a statement was issued criticizing Thailand’s public television station for providing a platform for “Taiwan independence elements” to spread disinformation, harm China and its people, and abuse press freedom.
Reporters Without Borders noted that several journalists noted instances in which Chinese diplomats have confronted individual journalists over certain reports that Beijing considers sensitive.
One of the high-profile cases was that in 2022, a Thai journalist was questioned by Chinese embassy personnel at a diplomatic occasion in Bangkok about his reporting on China’s persecution of Uyghurs, and warned that their media would no longer be allowed to interview the Chinese ambassador in the future.
The article also reported that an art exhibition organized by the Bangkok Art and Culture Center in August 2025 was under pressure from Chinese embassy officials because it included Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang issues. As a result, the organizer removed the relevant works and modified the exhibition label text. Reuters reported it, but only a few Thai media outlets followed up.
Later, Prawit Rojanaphruek, senior reporter for Thai media Khaosod English, published a commentary on the incident. The Chinese Embassy’s media counselor visited the newspaper’s office during the exhibition and told Prawit Rojanafruk that “Beijing’s one-China policy cannot be questioned.”
In addition to diplomatic pressure, China also exerts its influence through media cooperation and news exchanges. The article reports that China’s official Xinhua news agency, China Radio International (CRI) and China Global Television Network (CGTN), both affiliated with China Central Radio and Television, have increased production of Thai news content in recent years and have signed content cooperation agreements with several Thai media.
As of late 2019, at least 12 Thai media platforms have signed content cooperation agreements with Xinhua News Agency; The Public Relations Department of the Thai government also maintains several cooperation agreements with Xinhua News Agency and Chinese media groups.
In addition, Chinese government agencies have long invited Thai media personnel to visit China, arranging interviews with officials and tours of government construction photos. A Thai journalist who participated in a China infrastructure construction tour told Reporters Without Borders that the tour presented mainly one-sided information, such as emphasizing China’s projects on the Mekong River and how the China-Liaoning Railway could help poverty alleviation.
Teranai Charuvastra, former vice president of the Journalists Association of Thailand, once pointed out that it is quite common for Chinese government agencies to sponsor Thai media personnel to visit China.
The Thailand-China Journalists Association will also invite Thai media personnel to China in 2026 to learn about AI applications and new content production methods.
Thai journalist Prawit said that such Chinese pressure could lead to self-censorship in Thai newsrooms. “When journalists see that their editors frequently travel to China, they naturally become more cautious,” he said.
Reporters Without Borders reported that the deterioration in the operating environment of Thailand’s news industry has made the media more vulnerable to outside influence. More than 300 news organizations in Thailand will lay off staff in 2024, according to Radio Free Asia. The Thai Journalists Association described that year as a difficult year for the journalism industry.
An unnamed Thai journalist told Reporters Without Borders that many mainstream Thai TV journalists have transferred to Chinese media.
