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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

CMG Hosts Exchange Event in Munich

On October 11, 2024, the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) hosted a cultural exchange event in Germany to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of China-Germany diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership, which was announced in March 2014. The event took place in Munich, where, according to media reports, approximately 100 attendees from various sectors, including CMG’s vice president, representatives from the Chinese Embassy, and officials from the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy and Technology, were in attendance. During the event, the German Vogel Communications Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CMG Europe, which, according to Vogel’s announcement, would include journalist exchange programs to China. The event also highlighted CMG’s cooperation with German broadcaster ZDF on documentary co-productions. 

Hong Kong CE Meets Chief of China Media Group

On September 29, 2025, in Hong Kong, Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) met China Media Group (CMG) President and Editor-in-Chief Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) at Government House to discuss strengthening cooperation in communications, with Director of Information Services Apollonia Liu (劉李可頤) also attending. Mr Shen was leading a delegation to Hong Kong for a ceremony marking deepened cooperation between CMG and various sectors in the city. Lee expressed gratitude to CMG for “supporting the work” of the Hong Kong SAR Government and said the state broadcaster’s programming helps Hong Kong citizens “better understand the country’s history and development, enhancing their sense of national identity.” The Chief Executive said Hong Kong would “deepen co-operation with CMG by leveraging its international communication network to jointly tell the world good stories of China and Hong Kong,” language invoking Xi’s 2013 policy on external propaganda.

CMG Signs Deal With Greek Media at Bilateral Dialogue

On October 30, 2023, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) hosted a “China-Greece Belt and Road Dialogue” (中國希臘”一帶一路”對話會) in Athens. The event was attended by former Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who served as president from 2015 to 2020, China Media Group President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who has headed the umbrella state media organization since 2018, Greek Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias, who served in that role from August 2021 to March 2023, and Chinese Ambassador to Greece Xiao Junzheng (肖軍正). During the event, CMG signed a cooperation memorandum with Greece’s largest financial media outlet, Shipping and Business News (航運與商業報), covering international news reporting and financial content collaboration. CMG also exchanged an agreement with the Greek satellite platform NOVA to broadcast CGTN English and Documentary channels in Greece. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni (麗娜·門佐尼) announced plans for a comprehensive cooperation memorandum with CMG covering multiple joint cultural projects.

Tourism Australia and China Media Group Sign Deal

Tourism Australia, the Australian government’s international tourism promotion agency, and China Media Group (中国中央广播电视总台, CMG) signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding in July 2025 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, witnessed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The agreement, formalized by Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack and CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), established a framework for co-creating tourism content across CMG’s television, radio, digital, and social media platforms. The partnership aimed to enhance Australia’s brand recognition in China through culturally attuned storytelling, featuring Australia’s landscapes, multicultural communities, and lifestyle. The collaboration supported Tourism Australia’s “Come and Say G’day” campaign launch in China that August, during a period when Chinese visitor numbers reached 860,000 annually, generating $9.2 billion in tourism expenditure with 26 percent year-on-year growth.

CMG Signs MOU with Brazilian Culture Ministry

On November 18, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Brazil’s Ministry of Culture in Rio de Janeiro. The agreement was signed by CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) and Brazilian Culture Minister Margareth Menezes, establishing cooperation in audiovisual production, cultural heritage promotion, and technical exchanges. The signing took place amid what Shen described as a “new golden 50 years” of China-Brazil diplomatic relations under the leadership of Presidents Xi Jinping and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The collaboration will focus on film market development, media co-production, cultural heritage preservation, and tourism promotion to strengthen people-to-people connections between the nations. Menezes, who became Brazil’s first Black woman Culture Minister in 2023, emphasized the partnership’s importance for “Global South” nations pursuing mutual understanding and development.

2025 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum

The 2025 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum convened on May 25, 2025, in Luoyang, Henan Province, themed “Harnessing the Power of AI to Enhance Communication Cooperation in the Region.” The event brought together approximately 150 attendees including diplomatic envoys and media professionals from all 10 ASEAN member states, plus Chinese government officials and media representatives. Key participants included Secretary General Shi Zhongjun (石中軍) of the ASEAN-China Center, Cambodia’s minister of information Kem Gunawadh, Vietnam’s deputy minister Phan Tam, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General San Lwin (via video), and President Du Zhanyuan (杜占元) of the China International Communications Group. International partners included: diplomatic representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, plus ASEAN Youth Organization representatives. Co-hosted by the ASEAN-China Center (中國—東盟中心) and China International Communications Group (中國外文局), the forum launched joint initiatives on AI-powered media ecosystem governance and new media exchange programs, with discussions focused on what organizers characterized as combating fake news and promoting responsible AI use in media.

China and South Africa Hold New Media Roundtable

On November 23, 2018, government officials and media representatives from China and South Africa met in Pretoria for a South Africa-China New Media Roundtable (中國-南非新媒體圓桌會議). Co-hosted by China’s Cyberspace Administration (國家互聯網信息辦公室), an agency under the CCP’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission that serves as both a state and party institution, and South Africa’s Information Department, the event gathered delegates from both countries’ government, business, media, and academic sectors. Notable attendees included Gao Xiang (高翔), Deputy Director of China’s Cyberspace Administration who later became president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Cedric Frolick, House Chairperson for Committees, Oversight and ICT in South Africa’s National Assembly. Gao Xiang outlined China’s internet governance approach and offered three proposals for media cooperation, while South African Information Department Director-General Mashilo Boloka expressed interest in Chinese network security expertise and stated that “South Africa needs to learn from China’s knowledge and experience in network governance, network regulations, and network technology.” The meeting concluded with a memorandum signing between People’s Daily Online (人民網股份有限公司) and the South Africa-China Cultural and Tourism Investment Trade Promotion Center (南中文化和旅遊投資貿易促進中心).

Italy and China Renew Film Co-Production Agreement

On February 2, 2026, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli signed a film co-production agreement in Beijing with Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), president of China Media Group and a deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department. The agreement aims to facilitate joint film productions between Italian and Chinese companies, allowing co-produced works to qualify as domestic content in both countries, which might allow Italian co-productions to bypass China’s foreign film quota system. The agreement followed the June 2025 broadcast of the CMG-produced series “Il Guardiano del Patrimonio” across more than 30 Italian media outlets, a production promoting Xi Jinping’s cultural philosophy that was launched at a ceremony in Rome attended by Shen and Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara.

CMG Signs Tourism Cooperation Deal with Canada

China Media Group (中央广播电视总台), the state-run media conglomerate directly under the Central Propaganda Department, signed a cooperation agreement with Destination Canada on January 15 during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s official visit to China. CMG Director Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who also serves as deputy head of the Central Propaganda Department, and Canadian Ambassador to China Jennifer May signed the memorandum of understanding in Beijing, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Carney witnessing the ceremony. The agreement establishes institutional ties for collaboration on program production, project planning, and joint activities to promote what China refers to as “people-to-people diplomacy” (民间外交). Destination Canada is a wholly government-owned agency that markets Canada as a tourism destination. The signing occurred as part of a broader diplomatic reset covering economic, energy, security, and cultural cooperation.