Global Times

Global Times is an English-language newspaper published by the People's Daily, the official organ of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee. Founded in 1993 as a Chinese-language paper and relaunched in English in 2009, it functions as Beijing's primary vehicle for projecting CCP narratives to international audiences. Its editorial line tracks official policy positions closely, but its tabloid register and willingness to publish assertive commentary gives it Latitude for trial-balloon messaging that more formal outlets avoid. It is monitored by foreign intelligence services and media analysts precisely because its framing often previews official Chinese positions before they are articulated through diplomatic channels.

In coverage of the 2026 Iran conflict, Global Times has consistently framed the US-led campaign as destabilising to energy markets in ways that harm all developing economies. When Putin and Trump held their first phone call of 2026, Global Times characterised the exchange as Washington needing Moscow's help to stabilise energy prices — a framing that aligned Chinese and Russian interests against the US campaign. Following China and Russia's veto of the UN Security Council resolution calling for Hormuz reopening, Global Times positioned the blockade as a US and Israeli-created problem, not a Chinese one — even as 84.9 per cent of Iranian crude on water was China-bound.

Beyond the Iran conflict, Global Times has been cited across defence and technology topics, including coverage of Chinese aerospace programmes and AI industrial policy. It operates alongside Xinhua and CGTN as part of Beijing's coordinated international media ecosystem, but is distinguished by its combative op-ed culture and willingness to name foreign governments in adversarial terms. Western social media platforms have intermittently restricted its distribution; the outlet has responded by expanding its presence on domestic Chinese platforms and via direct syndication agreements with regional outlets in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.