A new Irish-language news service run by the Chinese Communist Party needs to be closely monitored Senator Rónán Mullen has said.
CGTN Gaeilge operates as a Facebook page that provides links to articles written in Irish on the broadcaster’s website.
“It proves that China has almost limitless resources in its efforts to bring its point of view on issues to the world”, Senator Mullen said speaking to The Irish Catholic.
“While it’s always great to see the Irish language being taken into consideration, it’s especially noteworthy that they would choose to do this in what they would understand to be a minority language.”
“Are they going to carry any material on the persecution of Uyghur people, on the enforced collapse of democracy in Hong Kong, on their cutting of the rights of people of faith?”
“The content will have to be watched carefully and also any attempt to exercise influence that weakens democratic freedoms will have to be monitored.”
CGTN is run by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party and has previously had its broadcasting licence withdrawn in the UK due to biased coverage of events such as the Hong Kong protests.
With over 40,000 followers, it is one of most followed Irish language news services on social media, however most followers appear not to be from Ireland.
It is understood that the CGTN Gaeilge account is managed by Zhang Fang, an Irish lecturer in Beijing Foreign Studies University, who is not permitted to give interviews to international media.
