The Europe Regional Bureau (新華社歐洲總分社) of Xinhua News Agency, China’s state news agency and an institution directly under the State Council, was established in Brussels on May 6, 2004. Then-Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and then-European Commission President Romano Prodi unveiled its plaque. According to a 2012 College of Europe report, the bureau then coordinated 42 subordinate offices across Europe. The same report said Xinhua aimed to become “one of the most important bridges between the EU and China.” The bureau co-organized that year’s seminar on EU-China media relations with the College of Europe, giving a state propaganda organ a platform at a leading European academic institution. In August 2022, the bureau’s chief, Li Shengjiang (李生江), pledged “full support” for the newly opened Brussels branch of the Cangzhou International Communication Center (滄州市國際傳播中心).