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CCTV-7 is China’s state-run national defense television channel, focused on the PLA and military affairs. Its “Defense Review” segment (防务新观察) provides PLA-aligned commentary of global defense issues and China’s military strategy. This report analyzes 30 days of broadcasts.
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Zhang Zhaozhong (张召忠)
Retired PLA Navy Rear Admiral
Du Wenlong (杜文龙) PLA Senior Colonel
Su Xiaohui (苏晓晖) Deputy Director, Institute of American Studies
"These exercises demonstrate ‘outside pressure’ and ‘inside suppression’: external interference and internal control aimed at punishing Taiwan independence forces. Our combined military and coast guard law enforcement activities around Taiwan create a comprehensive and strict legal constriction, leaving no room for separatist forces.”
“The United Kingdom’s rapid destroyer ‘Damn Destroyer’ system and the development of high-precision tactical supersonic cruise missiles highlight Western innovation and technological progress. Such capabilities represent considerable advancements in their defense industry.”
“The U.S. treats Ukraine as a matter at its doorstep, but Ukraine is actually far from the U.S. The overall U.S. strategy is shifting towards the Indo-Pacific and even increasing investments in the Middle East. Therefore, the strategic objectives are different, which partly explains Germany’s anxious stance on the conflict.”
"The U.S. never truly regards Taiwan as a real ally but as a pawn. Through controlling core components, it forces Taiwan’s military-industrial complex to remain at an assembly level, ensuring permanent dependence on the U.S. military-industrial complex.”
Issues on which the Western and Chinese media narrative contrast.
| Western Narrative | Chinese Narrative |
|---|---|
| U.S. views Ukraine as a frontline defense against Russian aggression and provides strong military aid to ensure Ukrainian resistance. | The U.S. treats Ukraine as a distant issue and uses it to exert geopolitical pressure while aiming to eventually withdraw, viewing Ukraine more as a pawn in larger strategic shifts toward the Indo-Pacific. |
| Taiwan receives substantial U.S. military support and is a democratic ally deserving defense. | Taiwan is a pawn under U.S. control, heavily dependent on American arms with internal instability and its government’s pro-independence actions risking disaster. |
| Western powers emphasize diplomatic solutions and multilateral negotiations in conflicts like the Iran nuclear issue and Ukraine crisis. | U.S. sanctions and pressure are aggressive and detrimental, with authentic dialogue hindered by U.S. reluctance to make meaningful concessions. |
| Western militaries are technologically advanced and maintain overwhelming superiority. | Emphasizes the evolving nature of warfare with the rise of drone swarms and asymmetric tactics neutralizing technological advantages, highlighting Western struggles to counter such threats effectively. |
| Western alliance partnerships (NATO, US-Japan, US-Philippines) are based on mutual security and shared values. | These alliances are provocative coalitions aimed at containing China and Russia, often exploiting smaller countries’ insecurities to extend Western geopolitical reach. |
| U.S. military budget increases are necessary for national and global security maintenance. | Such spending is fueling a dangerous arms race that exacerbates global tensions and wastes resources that could be better used for development and diplomacy. |
| Western media emphasis on Russian aggressiveness and invasion narratives focuses on Russian wrongdoing. | Considers Western narratives as biased and overlooks provocations or strategic necessities on Russia’s side, emphasizing the complexity and legitimacy of Russian actions. |
| China’s actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan are aggressive expansions. | Describes these as lawful defensive measures to protect sovereignty and maintain regional stability, criticizing foreign interference and illegal provocations by others. |
| Western countries’ joint military exercises are seen as defensive measures against perceived Chinese or Russian threats. | Frames these joint exercises as provocations designed to encircle and pressure China and its allies, asserting readiness to counteract such threats firmly. |
| Western public and political discourse generally support NATO and U.S. military presence abroad as stabilizing. | Portrays U.S. overseas military presence and arrangements as sources of instability, fostering conflict, and serving U.S. hegemonic ambitions rather than true peacekeeping. |
Laser-focus on America: Analysis of the U.S. military accounted for 29.9% of CCTV-7’s discussions. Much of the remaining 70.1%—covering topics like the Ukraine war and South Korean troop movements—was framed as driven by U.S. strategy.
Strategic Vocabulary: CCTV-7 pundits often use strategic rhetoric which is uncommon in the West. Examples include: