In fact, the inauguration of media operated by the Communist Party of China is not a new practice in Thailand. China Radio International (CRI), a Chinese state-run radio station, has broadcast in the Thai language since 10 April 1950. Once a radio station critical of the Thai government—an ally of the United States—for being against Communist China in the Cold War era, CRI has shifted its posture in a man¬ner consistent with the Chinese government’s new policy in the globalized world. The Thai-language CRI is now committed to “introducing China and the world to the Thai, and promoting understanding and friendship between Chinese and Thai peo¬ple.” It offers news reporting and produces a variety of feature programs in coopera¬tion with Thai university broadcasting stations at institutions such as Chulalongkorn University, Naresuan University and Mahasarakam Univeristy.18 CRI’s overseas office in Bangkok claims that its popularity is such that it receives more than 6,000 letters from listeners each year.