Chinese paper says Reuters radio report "confusing"

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Reuters investigation into a web of private radio stations across the world controlled by state-run China Radio International is "confusing and incomprehensible", a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Thursday. "CRI has no control over the U.S. local radio station, which only airs CRI-made programs," the Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, said in a commentary in its English-language edition. "Such cooperation is taking place across the world countless times every day." The commentary came after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice announced on Monday they are investigating a California firm whose U.S. radio broadcasts are backed by CRI. Both investigations came in response to a Reuters report on Monday that revealed the existence of a covert web of radio stations in 14 countries that broadcasts news about China aligned with Beijing's official views. The commentary, which did not appear in the newspaper's much more widely read Chinese edition, said CRI's broadcasts are nothing compared to Western influences in China and that "Reuters' scepticism is confusing and incomprehensible". The Global Times defended China's attempt to counter the dominant influence of "Western media moguls". "Non-Western countries are trying to make their voices heard due to their disadvantageous position in the public opinion sphere of the international community," the commentary said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Bill Tarrant)