Politics is an increasingly sensitive topic everywhere, from family dinner tables to global boardrooms. When it comes to China, that sensitivity adds another layer of complexity for foreign companies trying to establish themselves in the world’s second-largest economy.

In my time working with foreign companies, especially those headquartered in North America and Europe, I have seen a similar playbook: a highly cautious media approach, with messaging clear of anything that could be deemed as an endorsement of the government – remaining resolutely neutral. But that neutrality is something of a fiction. One could thank the reform and opening-up policies initiated in December 1978 for giving foreign companies massive market access, lowered operational costs, and an improving business environment. In turn, China’s economic growth is also partially fuelled by multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) business activities and partnerships with Chinese entities.

Why talk about politics at all?

When companies treat China policy as a subject to avoid rather than actively as a story hook to leverage, this is a missed opportunity for media engagement. Why so?

In China, the government often sets the tone, known in Chinese as dìngdiào (定调), to establish the official direction, vocabulary, and ideological stance for policies, social events, and economic goals.

For example, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, spanning 2026 to 2030, details industry guidelines across sectors including finance and technology, where many of our clients operate. Given the plan’s scope and prominence, media in China closely track the latest policies under the plan and how businesses in these sectors are responding and contributing to the policy implementation.

Given this, it presents an evergreen news hook for clients seeking media engagement to leverage.

What this looks like in practice

The goal is not to present oneself as a policy cheerleader. It is to find authentic, low-risk touchpoints that align with economic and industry priorities while keeping the message concrete and specific. As with media engagement anywhere, it helps build stories with credibility and news value for local journalists. If handled well, engaging with national priorities will help build awareness, earn trust with local stakeholders, and strengthen a company’s standing in the market.

• While preparing for a market summit in China organised by a global financial market data provider, we secured ten interviews with tier-one Chinese publications for spokespeople across different business units. We anchored the story in the company’s track record of collaboration in mainland China, giving journalists credible, useful material and giving the company concrete examples of how its China presence benefits its business.
• While web3 and cryptocurrency have been headline subjects everywhere outside of mainland China, they remain sensitive and coverage stays cautious. So how does a digital asset infrastructure firm find its voice in the China-facing media landscape? We advised our client to leave sensitive terms, including bitcoin, web3, and cryptocurrency, out of China-facing spokespeople messaging. Since mainland publications largely avoided the topic, we took a different route by working with the less-censored Hong Kong-based Chinese-language publications that are also widely read on the mainland to build brand awareness there instead.
• In another case, an automobile data provider approached us for support launching a global initiative to drive the sustainable transformation of its industry. The company’s media visibility in China had been relatively low before the launch, but the initiative aligned closely with the green transformation goals for China’s transportation sector under the 15th Five-Year Plan. By connecting the launch to the plan and highlighting participation from local businesses, industry organisations, research institutions, and government officials, we secured four exclusive interviews with tier-one business and market media for two spokespersons to introduce the company and its initiative to a Chinese audience.

Given the distance between global communications teams and the mainland China market, caution is understandable. That’s exactly why Cognito’s presence in Greater China matters. We operate in this market, speak the language, and can read the shifts in tone in real time.

Through narrative advisory, media engagement planning, and media monitoring, our role goes beyond campaign execution. We help businesses navigate two very different media and political environments, so they don’t have to choose between silence and overexposure.

Annie Chen is an account manager in our Hong Kong office