China Goes Global: Media & Soft Power in Latin America

The China Correspondents’ Club of London invites you to a talk by Pablo Morales, UKRI Postdoctoral Fellow at the London School of Economics, whose research examines China’s international communication strategy in Latin America and its implications for journalism and the public sphere.

Over the past decade, China has significantly expanded its media presence across Latin America, partnering with local outlets, investing in content exchange, and promoting alternative narratives about global affairs. Yet how these messages are received — and how they interact with local media cultures, political contexts, and audience expectations — remains complex and uneven.

Drawing on his ongoing research and professional experience working in Chinese media, Dr Morales will explore how international media flows from China intersect with journalism practices in the Global South. The discussion will look at how collaborations between media organisations challenge dominant Western narratives, the role of soft power in shaping public discourse, and what this means for journalists, policymakers, and global audiences.

The talk will be moderated by Sean Haines, who previously worked for Xinhua News and China Daily in Beijing, and will conclude with an audience Q&A.

Room: Centre Building, ​​CBG.1.07

Speaker: Dr Pablo Morales holds a PhD in Media Studies from the Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster, where he conducted research on the reception of international news channels in Hispanic Latin America in relation to the soft power endeavours of China, Russia and Iran. After obtaining a master's degree from Zhejiang University (China), he worked as a journalist and translator for China Radio International and People’s Daily Online in Beijing. In recent years he has contributed to BBC Chinese, Al-Jazeera and Iran International.

Moderator: Sean Haines has formerly worked for Xinhua News and China Daily in Beijing. He is now based in the UK and works as a freelance journalist, his Substack "Too Simple Sometimes Naive" focuses on China, state media and propaganda.

The China Correspondents’ Club of London is a professional organisation that supports international journalists reporting on China, Chinese journalists working in the UK, and journalism students.The Club is independent, non-profit, and non-governmental.

The Department of Media and Communications at LSE is a world-leading centre for education and research in communication and media studies at the heart of LSE’s academic community in central London.

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