Xin Xin

Dr Xin Xin is a Reader in International Communications at the University of Westminster, affiliated with the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) and the Contemporary China Centre. Her academic career spans over three decades, combining journalism, scholarship, and policy engagement. She previously held the RCUK Academic Fellowship (2006-2011) and UK/China Fellowship for Excellence (2008-2009), focusing on China's soft power, media transformations, and digital labor.

Educational Background:

• BA in Russian Language and Literature (Beijing International Studies University, 1994)
• MA in International Journalism (University of Westminster, 2003)
• PhD in Media and Communication (University of Westminster, 2006)

Research Focus: Dr Xin's work bridges the political economy of Chinese media, global communications, soft power strategies, sociology of journalism, and grassroots digital practices. She critically examines how marketization, globalization, and digitalization reshape legacy media like Xinhua News Agency, alongside state-corporate soft power deployments and grassroots digital activism.

Recent Publications highlight trends in AI-driven journalism, digital labor, party journalism modernization, and soft power analysis. Her articles span empirical studies of Xinhua's financialization and party journalism, comparative public diplomacy, and longitudinal analyses of digital inclusion in BRICS nations.

Scientific Awards:

• RCUK Academic Fellowship (2006-2011)
• UK/China Fellowship for Excellence (2008-2009)
• Founding Editorial Board Member of Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture and Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture

Supervision: Dr Xin currently supervises PhD students on topics including Sino-African journalism, Chinese diaspora identity on YouTube, and gender dynamics in Chinese social media. She co-organized 11 international doctoral summer schools and served as second supervisor for over ten PhD candidates.

Activities: She has delivered lectures at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, University of Birmingham, and Tsinghua University. Her consultancy work includes Oxford Analytica and the Media Diversity Institute, with media citations in Al Jazeera, NBC News, and The Washington Post.