US media outlet The China Project to close over lack of funds, showing challenges of ‘neutral path’ amid power rivalry

Formerly called SupChina, news platform known for in-depth coverage of the country says it cannot survive because of funding shortfalls

The company, producer of popular Sinica podcast, has been target of American ‘China hawks’ as well as nationalistic Chinese tabloid

Reading Time:4 minutes

“We are not prepared to compromise our values for funding,” says a statement from The China Project announcing its closure on Monday. Photo: Handout

Orange Wangin Beijing,Bochen HanandIgor Patrickin Washington

Published: 10:01pm, 7 Nov 2023Updated: 6:42am, 8 Nov 2023

A US-based media platform known for its in-depth China coverage announced it will shut down due to lack of funds, laying bare the challenges of attempting a “neutral” stance as the rivalry between Beijing and Washington intensifies.

The China Project, which started in 2016 as a newsletter and was formerly known as SupChina before last September, has become a popular source of English news and analysis for China watchers around the world.

In addition to a news website and the weekly Sinica podcast, The China Project hosted live events and offered a corporate records database service.

The company posted a statement on Monday saying that it could not continue in its current form because of funding shortfalls and it had begun legal proceedings to unwind.

According to a post on its website, the company learned this week that a crucial funding source “was no longer going to come through” and had made the “difficult decision to close down”.

We are not prepared to compromise our values for funding

Jeremy Goldkorn, China Project editor-in-chief

“We are not prepared to compromise our values for funding,” editor-in-chief Jeremy Goldkorn wrote in the statement.

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