Irrawaddy-Aug 25
The junta-aligned Myanmar Narrative Think Tank has joined the China-led Global South Joint Communication Partnership Program in a move to “enhance the image of Myanmar internationally”, junta media said. The junta-backed think tank and China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency signed a cooperation agreement in Yangon on Friday, attended by Myanmar Narrative Think Tank chair Ko Ko and Xinhua’s Yangon Bureau chief Zhang Dongqiang. The cooperation aims to contribute to Myanmar’s development and enhance its image on the international stage, according to junta media. The Global South Joint Communication Partnership Program was launched in July 2025 at the BRICS Media and Think Tank Forum in Brazil. Led by Xinhua, the initiative says its aim is to foster collaboration among media organizations and think tanks from Global South nations to “promote a multipolar world and inclusive globalization.” BRICS is a bloc of emerging economies often viewed as aligned against the West. Beijing’s mouthpiece, Xinhua, is one of six Chinese news agencies operating in Myanmar, among 19 foreign media bureaus currently active in the country. It released a multilingual report titled “The Rise of the Global South During the BRICS Media and Think Tank Forum” in July. Myanmar Narrative Think Tank has been actively working as a propaganda machine for the regime, whose forces have carried out widespread and well-documented atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The cooperation comes amid growing efforts by Myanmar’s military regime to counter Western criticism and sanctions through strategic media alliances. BRICS is led by China, India and Russia, all of which back the regime. China and Russia are major arms suppliers of the regime. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmar-china-watch/myanmar-junta-propaganda-vehicle-joins-china-led-media-bloc.html
