Source: Xinhua Español
What it’s about: The article reports on the trip to Beijing by five sixth-year children and two teachers from the People’s Republic of China School in Casavalle, in the suburbs of Montevideo, Uruguay. The children won the trip through a lottery. They are the first delegation of students from Uruguay to travel across the most important tourist points of China as part of an 11-day, government-funded trip. The ambassador of China in Uruguay, Wang Gang, said that the initiative is the reflection of the “exchange between both countries, which does not end with the political, economic and commercial, but broadens with the cultural and humanistic.”
What’s misleading about it: Although the article highlights the positive aspects of educational exchanges between China and Uruguay, for the benefit of the children’s education and travel opportunities, the Xinhua article exaggerates in its portrayal of China as the best educational partner for Uruguay and the region at large. This is particularly true in the fragment where the article “cites” a declaration by school director Irupé Buzzetti. According to Xinhua, Buzzetti declared that “all countries should follow the example of China”, meaning enabling more exchanges like these. This particular quote does not appear in any other media outlet. It is true that Director Buzzetti praised the travel opportunity in an article that appeared in LA RED 21, but Buzzetti’s quote in that article is much more moderated, and is limited to expressing interest in the initiative. As with other misleading or false article published by Chinese state media, this article misconstrues the facts to advance Beijing’s interests in the region.