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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Fairfax Media Signs Deal with China Daily

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China Daily (中国日报) and Fairfax Media signed a content distribution agreement in May 2016 to launch “China Watch” in Australia, marking China Daily’s entry into the Australian market. The agreement, announced at a ceremony attended by Liu Qibao (刘奇葆), head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department, established monthly publication of an eight-page English-language “China Watch” supplement in Fairfax Media’s Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and Financial Review newspapers. China Daily editor-in-chief Zhou Shuchun (周树春) described the partnership as extending China Daily’s influence across Oceania through Fairfax’s network of newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. “China Watch,” a multilingual China Daily publication reaching over 50 million readers globally, was already distributed with major newspapers including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph, Le Figaro, and others across multiple countries. Announcing the deal, China Daily quoted Tim Dwyer, an associate professor at the Department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney, as saying: “The inclusion of China Watch publication is a really welcome development in the Australian media landscape. It introduces news diversity to Australian media audiences.” Published by China’s propaganda department (State Council information Office), China Daily is explicitly described in Party documents as a vehicle for “external propaganda” and “telling China’s story well.”

Chinese Diplomat Visits Sin Chew Daily

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On December 8, 2023, Chinese Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Zheng Xuefang (鄭學方) visited the headquarters of Malaysia’s Sin Chew Daily and met with senior leaders from Media Chinese International Limited. The meeting occurred in the context of 2024 marking the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations, established on May 31, 1974. Zheng praised the role of media in strengthening bilateral relations and emphasized the concept of a “China-Malaysia community of shared destiny” (中馬命運共同體). The meeting was attended by Media Chinese International Board Chairman Tiong Choon (張聰), Editor-in-Chief Kuok Ching Kian (郭清江), Sin Chew Daily CEO Xu Chun (許春), Executive Editor-in-Chief Chen Hanguang (陳漢光), and General Manager of Corporate Relations Chen Jinquan (陳金泉).

China and Indonesia Hold Youth Media Exchange Program

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On August 29, 2025, the “We and the World Dialogue” (我們與世界對話) China-Indonesia youth media exchange took place in Jakarta, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Nearly 100 young representatives from media organizations, universities, and research institutions participated. The event was co-organized by several Chinese institutions linked to the Guangxi Provincial Government, including the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (廣西壯族自治區人民政府新聞辦公室), the Guangxi International Communication Center (廣西國際傳播中心) — an office under the province’s propaganda office — and Guangxi Radio and Television (廣西廣播電視台). Indonesian partners included the state-run Televisi Republik Indonesia (印尼國家電視台) and the newspaper Harian InHua (印華日報). Participants explored three central themes throughout the event, including AI, media integration (媒體融合), and “Partners with Shared Destiny” (命運與共好夥伴) — this last theme clearly aligned with Xi Jinping’s foreign policy framework. This event is part of Guangxi’s broader role under a national plan in China to empower border provinces in the south to promote Chinese messaging across Southeast Asia.

China and Czech Republic Sign Joint Communiqué During Zeman Visit

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In December 1999, Czech Prime Minister Miloš Zeman and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji issued a joint communiqué following Zeman’s official visit to China. The document, echoing standard official CCP discourse, stated that both sides reached a “friendly atmosphere” and committed to “long-term, stable cooperative ties” based on “mutual respect” (相互尊重) and “non-interference in each other’s internal affairs” (互不干涉内政). On media engagement, the two governments expressed a willingness to “further develop cooperation” in the area of journalism (新闻), or news, alongside culture and education — though specific programs were not mentioned. The Czech side reiterated its adherence to the Chinese government’s concept of the “one China” principle (一个中国原则), recognizing Taiwan as an “inalienable part of Chinese territory.”

CITIC Group Acquires Majority Stake in Medea

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In April 2020, the Chinese state-run conglomerate CITIC Group exercised a strategic option to increase its ownership in Médea from a 30 percent minority to a 57 percent majority stake. This transaction, executed through CITIC’s investment arm Rainbow Wisdom Investment, granted the Chinese Ministry of Finance significant leverage over the Czech media landscape. Médea acts as a critical intermediary, said media reports in the Czech Republic, managing approximately 3 billion CZK (about 120 million US dollars) in annual advertising budgets. Analysts expressed concern that this financial control could create a chilling effect on journalism, effectively incentivizing accommodating outlets with advertising revenue while penalizing those critical of Beijing. The move followed the collapse of CEFC China Energy, whose assets were absorbed by CITIC to maintain China’s institutional influence.

RTHK Signs Cooperation Deal With Guangzhou TV

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On June 13, 2025, Hong Kong Director of Broadcasting Kwan Yuen-yee (關婉儀) and the Guangzhou Broadcasting Network (廣州廣播電視台), or GZBN, signed a memorandum of cooperation to deepen regional media integration. The partnership includes joint productions commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II (抗戰勝利80周年) — a core propaganda theme for China in 2025 — and the first-ever co-produced radio drama focusing on life in the Greater Bay Area (粵港澳大灣區), or “GBA”—the development region that is a key point of plans by China’s CCP leadership for greater integration between Hong Kong and the mainland. Kwan stated that RTHK will leverage its role in “linking the interior and connecting the exterior” (內聯外通) to foster a stronger sense of national identity (國民身份認同) among Hong Kong citizens, an idea closely associated with indoctrination in China’s CCP-led political system, including the study of “Xi Jinping Thought.”

CMG and Spanish Ministry of Culture Sign MOU

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On September 9, 2024, China Media Group (CMG) and Spain’s Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum for strategic cooperation on broadcasting and film production. According to a report from China Central Television, the state-run broadcaster under CMG, the memorandum establishes “a regular cooperation mechanism” for cultural heritage protection and personnel exchanges, and commits both parties to “joint production and broadcasting of cultural programs” (文化節目聯合制播). The deal means CMG can co-produce documentaries and content about Spanish culture and China-Spain relations that will be broadcast on CMG’s networks in China and internationally, while Spain’s Ministry of Culture gains access (in principle) to CMG’s production resources and Chinese broadcast markets. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez witnessed the signing during Sánchez’s second official visit to China. 

The Wall Street Journal Runs China Daily Supplement

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Beginning in November 2016, The Wall Street Journal regularly ran the “China Watch” printed insert of China’s government-run China Daily in the pages of its newspaper, accepting advertising payments from China Daily USA in return. The paid supplements were designed to look like news articles, but were vehicles for pro-China propaganda. According to filings by China Daily with the US Justice Department, the The Wall Street Journal accepted 6 million dollars for the inserts between 2016 and April 2020.

Guangxi Radio and Television Does Deal with RTHK

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On September 18, 2025, the state-run Guangxi Radio and Television (廣西廣播電視台) and Hong Kong public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (香港電台) signed a strategic memorandum of understanding regarding “program resources and talent exchange.” Held at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center (南寧國際會展中心) during the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo (中國—東盟博覽會), the deal aimed to “tell China’s story well” to ASEAN nations, according to state media reports. This move directly echoed official external propaganda policies of the Chinese Communist Party leadership. The signing was witnessed by the National Radio and Television Administration (國家廣播電視總局), an agency under the Central Propaganda Department. This partnership sought to bolster media synergy between Guangxi and the Greater Bay Area, leveraging regional advantages to enhance cross-border cooperation and drive high-quality media development across the Southeast Asian region.