Media convergence for US–China competition? Comparative case studies of China Media Group and the US Agency for Global Media

Abstract

The present study provides a comparative analysis of the media convergence of China Media Group and US Agency for Global Media to illustrate the increasing US–China rivalry in international communication. It yields the following tentative findings: Both have been undergoing rigorous development at the technological and operational levels of convergence to enhance international communication; both are made to show more explicit loyalty to its official ideology, and both have become more monolithic via convergence; both have integrated their broadcasting services for an increasingly integrated market of information and news; both seem to be weaponizing itself against each other to fuel rivalry in international communication between the two nations rather than deepening mutual understanding and cooperation for mutual good and global good. The two case studies reveal that media convergence has not been able to liberate journalism from nationalistic constraints and transform it into an instrument to spawn new ideas and disseminate high-quality information and news for global public good.