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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Yunnan Hosts China-Cambodia Mid-Autumn Gala

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China and Cambodia held a Mid-Autumn Festival cultural gala on September 28, 2025, in Phnom Penh, featuring performances by artists from both countries. The event, drawing on Chinese Communist Party frame of “friendship” (友谊), was titled “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon: Deep Neighborly Affection.” It was organized by Cambodia’s Ministry of Information, Ministry of Tourism, China’s embassy in Cambodia, and Yunnan province’s propaganda office (中共雲南省委宣傳部), as part of the China-Cambodia Tourism Year. Chinese performers presented classical dance works a Yunnan Yi ethnic dance called “Stepping on Clouds,” while Cambodian artists performed traditional pieces such as the “Apsara Dance” and a selection from the historical drama “Zhou Daguan Meets Zhenla” (周达观遇见真腊) called titled “Moon Over Angkor.” Zhou Daguan was a Chinese official during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty who visited the kingdom of Angkor in the 13th century and stayed for a time at the court of King Indrvarman III. Zhou is often cited in Chinese official accounts as an early example of “friendly” foreign relations with Cambodia and Southeast Asia more broadly. The involvement of the Yunnan provincial propaganda office in the event underscored the province’s continued role as a platform for China’s cultural and economic engagement in Southeast Asia.

Yunnan Hosts China-Vietnam Moon Festival Gala

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China and Vietnam held a Mid-Autumn Festival cultural gala on September 25, 2025, at the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Hanoi, featuring performances by artists from both countries. The event, titled “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon: Deep Neighborly Affection” — emphasizing longstanding Communist Party notions of “friendship” — was organized by China’s embassy in Vietnam, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Yunnan province’s propaganda office (中共雲南省委宣傳部), marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Vietnamese performers presented traditional pieces while Chinese artists performed works featuring traditional instruments alongside dance and tai chi. The event highlighted Yunnan’s role as a key platform in China’s regional engagement strategy toward Southeast Asia.

Hong Kong CE Meets Chief of China Media Group

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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.

China Media Group Signs Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Macau SAR

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On September 28, 2025, in Macau, China Media Group (CMG) and the Macau Special Administrative Region signed a framework agreement to “deepen strategic cooperation” in news reporting, talent exchange, international communication and sports events, with Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (贺一诚) and CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) attending the ceremony. Officials at the signing ceremony said the partnership would help Macao “enhance its international communication capabilities” (提升国际传播能力) and build the region into an “exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as the mainstream.” Zheng Xincong (郑新聪), the head of the PRC government’s Liaison Office in Macau, described the agreement as establishing “an important platform” for “telling Macao’s stories to the world” and providing “new impetus” for CMG to become a “world-class, new-type mainstream media group” — the term “mainstream” in this context meaning that it aligns with the goals of the Chinese Communist Party.

Xinhua Signs MOU with Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency

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On August 31, 2025, Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency signed a cooperation agreement with China’s Xinhua News Agency. According to the Azerbaijani agency, the partnership aims to “strengthen, promote and develop cooperation between the two countries in the field of mass media based on the principle of reciprocity and mutual benefit.” The agreement encompasses information sharing, joint project collaboration, and the organization of training programs and conferences. The formal exchange ceremony took place on September 6, 2025, during China’s Global South Media and Think Tanks Forum in Yunnan Province, where Ahmad Ismayilov, head of Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency, met with Xinhua President Fu Hua (傅華) to formalize the partnership.

Chinese Embassy Donates Media Equipment to Island Sun

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On August 27, 2021, the Chinese Embassy in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, donated computers to the Island Sun newspaper in a ceremony where the Deputy Head of Mission personally presented the equipment to the publication’s owner. Embassy officials framed the donation as part of their commitment to supporting local media during difficult times, specifically citing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper’s leadership welcomed what they described as a “timely donation” and expressed interest in strengthening future collaboration with the Embassy. The donation is an example of China’s broader overseas media strategy of providing technical equipment and resources to local news organizations as a means of building relationships and influence.

2025 South and Southeast Asian Media Network Annual Meeting

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The 2025 South and Southeast Asian Media Network Annual Meeting (2025南亞東南亞媒體聯盟年會) was held on September 5, 2025, in Kunming, bringing together representatives from 11 countries including China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka. The event featured what Chinese state media characterized as “high-level participation” from propaganda and information ministers, underscoring the official and diplomatic core of what the Chinese hosts portrayed as a meeting about regional media cooperation. China Daily publisher Qu Yingpu (曲瑩璞) and Yunnan’s top propaganda official, Zeng Yan (曾艷), delivered keynote addresses. Zeng emphasized the need to build “a more united model of global media cooperation” (更團結的世界媒體合作典範) — a reference to China’s ambition of creating media industry blocs to counter what the leadership regards as an imbalance in Western dominance of global public opinion. Attendees launched new cooperation projects and discussed leveraging artificial intelligence for regional media development, with Myanmar’s information minister noting the need to learn from China’s technological advances. The meeting presented itself as a platform for “Global South” media collaboration while advancing China’s narrative influence through coordinated messaging and technology transfer initiatives. Among the foreign participants mentioned in news reporting was Vansay Tavinyan, editor-in-chief of Pasaxon newspaper (Laos); representatives from the Thai News Agency under Thailand’s state-owned public broadcaster, MCOT (Mass Communication Organization of Thailand); Qing Lian, the head of Cambodia’s Ministry of Information; and U Maung Maung Ohn, Myanmar’s information minister.

Shenyang Hosts Cross-Strait Media Youth Symposium

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On September 10, 2025, the Liaoning Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office (遼寧省委台辦) and Liaoning Communication University (遼寧傳媒學院) hosted a cross-strait media symposium titled “Liaoning-Taiwan Perspectives: A Mirror for the Future” (遼台視界 鏡啟未來) in Shenyang. Nearly 40 participants attended, including journalists from Taiwan, social media personalities, reporters from Hong Kong, and professors from Liaoning Communication University. Participants included Yuan Tianming (袁天明), chairman of the little-known Chinese Journalists Association (中華新聞記者協會), or CJA TW, who was misidentified as chairman of the Association of Taiwan Journalists (台灣新聞記者協會), a professional non-governmental organization composed of Taiwanese journalists. Yuan characterized the event as “meaningful for deepening cross-strait exchange” and complimented China’s grand official commemoration on September 3 of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. During the symposium, three Taiwanese nationals identified as social media personalities (自媒體人)— Sun Ziyun (孫子芸), James (邱慶齡), and Wu Zhichun (吳志淳) — shared their personal experiences working in China. Sun Ziyun described Liaoning as her “second hometown,” while Wu Zhichun promoted the province’s policies for Taiwanese entrepreneurs, including office space, tax benefits, and housing subsidies. James, visiting Liaoning for the first time, shared his experience of having participated in the September 3 military parade. While identified as social media personalities, the three Taiwanese participants have chiefly been promoters of China and its message of cross-strait integration, and seem to have little appreciable impact inside Taiwan.

Xiamen University Hosts China-ASEAN Journalism Education Conference

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The “China-ASEAN Journalism Education Conference” (中國—東盟未來新聞傳播教育會議), bringing together approximately 30 academic representatives from nine ASEAN countries alongside Chinese academics, was held from September 13-14, 2025, in the port city of Xiamen. Co-organized by the School of Journalism and Communication of Xiamen University (廈門大學新聞傳播學院) and the university’s Center for International Communication Research (廈門大學國際傳播研究中心), the conference revolved around the theme of journalism and the role of artificial intelligence. Indian national Daya K. Thussu (達雅·屠蘇), president of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), participated in sessions focused on artificial intelligence’s impact on journalism. He said that journalism education “needs to summarize the past to face the future” and stressed the importance of cooperation among ASEAN journalism education institutions to address future challenges posed by technological developments and changing media landscapes. The conference, which emphasized “building a China-ASEAN journalism education community” (构建中国—东盟新闻传播教育共同体), reflected Beijing’s broader regional foreign policy strategy, using partnerships in media, education, and culture to further its geopolitical goals. Chinese media reports indicated participation by representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.