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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

China-Cyprus-Europe Media Forum

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The China-Cyprus-Europe Media Forum was held from October 21-23, 2025, in Nicosia, Cyprus. According to a report from the official China News Service, the forum was organized by the China Media Group (中央广播电视总) and the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus, along with the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (塞浦路斯广播电视公司), the Cyprus Mail (塞浦路斯邮报), and the government-run Xinhua News Agency (新华社). More than 100 representatives from the media, government, diplomatic missions, universities, think tanks, and enterprises attended. The Chinese Ambassador said that he hoped participants would “deepen exchanges” and “tell stories of China-Cyprus friendship well” — language reflecting the Chinese Communist Party’s emphasis on “telling China’s story well” (講好中國故事), a core propaganda directive under Xi Jinping aimed at shaping international narratives about China. Cooperation between China and Cyprus, China-EU relations, media responsibilities, and the role of AI in media development were the main topics of the forum. The event released a declaration calling for the media to build “a community with a shared future for humanity” — this being a signature foreign policy concept introduced by Xi Jinping, and suggesting that the document was drafted by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The forum was timed ahead of the 55th anniversary of China-Cyprus diplomatic relations and Cyprus’s EU Council presidency in 2026.

Yunnan ICC Hosts Training Tour with Southeast Asia Journalists

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In early August 2025, the Yunnan Province People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (雲南省人民對外友好協會) and the Yunnan South and Southeast Asia Regional International Communication Center (雲南省南亞東南亞區域國際傳播中心), the province’s office tasked with external propaganda (外宣) work, organized a five-day media training and cultural exchange program, bringing together more than 20 young bloggers and media practitioners from China, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Participants visited historical sites including the Nanqiao Mechanic Museum (南僑機工分館), which commemorates the more than 3,000 overseas Chinese mechanics who supported China’s war effort during WWII by maintaining the vital Burma Road supply route. As they discussed the topic of peace, participants in the program also learned video production and AI techniques. In a PRC political context, references to “peace” as frequently used in diplomatic exchanges generally include the absence of interventionism and colonialism — making the case for China as a benevolent partner. The Yunnan South and Southeast Asia Regional International Communication Center was founded in May 2022 under the propaganda office of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the CCP, the province’s top leadership. While a full list of participants was not made public, two participants mentioned in related reports included a Vietnamese student from Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外國語大學) and a Malaysian student from Xiamen University (廈門大學).

Guangxi Administration College Delegation Visits Jian Hua Daily

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On October 22, 2025, a delegation from the School of Marxism at the Guangxi Administration College (廣西行政學院, a provincial-level educational institute, visited Cambodia’s Chinese-language Jianhua Daily (柬華日報). According to coverage by Jianhua Daily, the delegation met with newspaper president Huang Huanming (黃煥明) to discuss what the outlet characterized as “deepening the Cambodia-China friendship,” including through cooperation on media and culture. The language of “friendship” is a typical frame used by China to characterize bilateral relations as well as people-to-people exchanges. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Mingxing (洪明星), vice dean of the School of Marxism, who described Cambodia and China as “ironclad brothers” (鐵桿兄弟) — this being a term generally reserved in Chinese state media only for China’s relationships with Cambodia and Pakistan, which have historically enjoyed close political alignment. The Jian Hua Daily, founded in Cambodia in 2000, is published by the Federation of Cambodian Chinese (柬華理事總會).

China Media Group and the National Library of Pakistan Hold Event

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On April 21, 2025, the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), a state-run media conglomerate under China’s Central Propaganda Department, hosted a seminar in Pakistan commemorating President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the country a decade ago. Held in Islamabad, the diplomatic event was jointly organized by the National Library of Pakistan, featuring prominent government officials reflecting on the impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — a sea and land-based infrastructure network that is meant to further integrate China and parts of South Asia. Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh called Xi’s visit in 2015 “a pivotal moment in bilateral relations,” while Minister of State for National Heritage and Culture Huzaifa Rehman described CPEC as “an economic lifeline” for Pakistan during challenging times. Parliamentary Secretary for IT and Telecommunications Sabheen Ghoury emphasized what she called the “all-weather friendship” between the nations. The event again underscored the key role of central Chinese state media in bilateral diplomacy.

China Media Group Launches APEC Content Distribution Initiative

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China Media Group (中央广播电视总台), also known as CMG, the state-run media conglomerate directly under the Central Propaganda Department, launched a distribution initiative on October 25 showcasing Chinese television programs across Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies. The programming rollout, running through December 2025, coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 30 to November 1, 2025. More than ten CMG productions, including a documentary series on Xi Jinping and Chinese modernization, aired on 22 mainstream media outlets across 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, Russia, Thailand, and the United States. CMG Director Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) described the initiative as deepening cultural exchanges with Asia-Pacific nations. Partner broadcasters included Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Indonesia’s national broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia, South Korea’s OBS, Thailand’s Thai PBS, and Peru’s national broadcasting group.

Chinese and Russian Media Expand Cooperation Plans for 2026

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The 18th meeting of the Media Cooperation Subcommission under the China-Russia Humanitarian Cooperation Committee (中俄人文合作委员会) convened virtually on October 20, 2025, with more than 40 representatives from both nations. News of the meeting was first reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (俄罗斯报) a newspaper published by the Russian government. The session was co-chaired by Dong Xin (董昕), the vice director of China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局), or NRTA, a ministry-level agency under the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department that oversees radio and television enterprises, and by Bella Cherkesova, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Digital Development. Chinese participants included representatives from the Central Propaganda Department, People’s Daily (人民日报), Xinhua News Agency (新华社), and China Media Group (中央广播电视总台). Russian attendees represented the Foreign Ministry, TASS (塔斯社), a Russian government news agency, and Russia Today (RT), Russia’s state-controlled international news television network. The meeting approved plans for more than 70 joint media projects.

SMG Co-hosts 2024 ENEX General Assembly

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The 31st ENEX General Assembly convened in Shanghai on September 26, 2024, co-hosted by the European News Exchange (ENEX) and the Shanghai Media Group (上海廣播電視台), or SMG, and organized by SMG International (上海文廣國際傳播中心). SMG International is Shanghai’s local international communication center (國際傳播中心), or ICC, part of Xi Jinping’s push to bring regional media groups into the larger project of national propaganda directed overseas. According to Chinese media, more than 70 delegates from 17 countries and regions gathered for the ENEX General Assembly to discuss the future of media development and transnational cooperation. In his opening remarks, the President of SMG said that global media need more cooperation and that they must “share factual news” (我们需要共享新闻事实) and “jointly capture objective and truthful international news” (共同捕捉客观真实的国际新闻). Far from calls to professionalism, as they might seem, these remarks reference the official view of China’s leadership, which holds that global public opinion is imbalanced against China — and that this state of affairs requires corrective measures. According to ENEX, the discussions centered on challenges facing the media sector, particularly the expanding impact of artificial intelligence and the complexities of covering international conflicts. SMG states that its mission is to build “the best practice ground for ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Culture’” — a reference to the media-related aspects of the CCP leader’s central political ideology — while also “disseminating public opinion and culture.”

2025 China-South Korea Media Cooperation Forum

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The 2025 China-South Korea Media Cooperation Forum was held in Seoul on October 13, 2025, under the theme “China-South Korea Cooperation for an Intelligent Future.” It brought together representatives from Chinese and South Korean media outlets, academic institutions, and tech companies. Co-hosted by the People’s Daily (人民日報), the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, and South Korea’s Maekyung Media Group, the event featured speeches by the president of the People’s Daily, the chairman of Maekyung Media Group, and China’s ambassador to South Korea. According to a readout from the People’s Daily, the forum released the results of a public opinion survey in the Asia-Pacific region claiming that populations generally view the region as “an interdependent community with common interests and a shared future” — language directly echoing Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy concept of a “community of common destiny for mankind” (人類命運共同體). Xi’s policy phrase, which now underpins what the CCP characterizes as the “Four Great Global Initiatives” (四大全球倡议) — the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) — prioritizes state-centered approaches to international relations while subordinating individual rights to national interests. The president of the People’s Daily called on media organizations to promote “Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness” and to “consolidate common regional values,” framing media cooperation as a vehicle for advancing China’s narratives in the region.

NewsVoice Launches Partnership with China Daily

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On April 10, 2025, the Swedish website NewsVoice announced the signing of a news-sharing agreement with China Daily (中國日報) that allowed NewsVoice to translate and publish articles from the Chinese government-run outlet on its website. According to a letter on the deal published by China Daily and bearing the byline of NewsVoice founder and editor-in-chief Torbjörn Sassersson, the partnership provides “insight into China’s thinking, philosophy, and political perspective.” Sassersson added that the partnership would enable his website to “become a player in media diplomacy using journalism to build bridges between countries and peoples”—language that closely mirrors Chinese state media rhetoric surrounding media cooperation agreements. Torbjörn Sassersson is a Swedish freelance journalist and communications consultant who has worked in environmental consulting, bioenergy, and corporate communications since the 1990s. He founded NewsVoice.se in 2011, a bilingual news and — says Sassersson — debate platform. As Sassersson explains in a bio on the NewsVoice website, he shifted focus in 2023 to covering the multipolar world, BRICS, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative after receiving an invitation from the Chinese embassy to visit Shanghai. In June 2025, Sassersson interviewed Cui Anmin, China’s ambassador to Sweden, on Sweden-China relations for NewsVoice.