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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

China-Russia Media Dialogue Focuses on Telling Stories of Bilateral Friendship

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The China-Russia Media Dialogue Forum was held in Beijing on July 31, 2023, bringing together representatives from more than 20 Chinese and Russian media outlets to discuss how to “tell stories of China-Russia friendship in the new era” (講好新時代中俄友好故事). Organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the forum featured representatives from Russian state-run outlets including Rossiyskaya Gazeta, TASS, and RT alongside counterparts from the official People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and the China Media Group (CMG), the state-run media conglomerate under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The two sides, said a readout on the session, shared stories of bilateral cooperation — including joint efforts to fight Covid-19 and exchanges of children from disaster areas. CPAFFC Vice President Yan Dong (鄢東) said media exchanges are a key platform for promoting bilateral friendship, noting that cooperation had yielded “abundant results” in recent years under the strategic guidance of both heads of state. The notion of “telling stories” is a direct reference to Xi Jinping’s policy on “external propaganda” (外宣), centered on the notion of “telling China’s story well” (講好中國故事), which was laid out during a speech in August 2013.

CMG Hosts 2020 European Media Cooperation Forum

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On December 10, 2020, China Media Group (中國媒體集團) hosted the 2020 European Media Partners Cooperation Online Forum, which the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) called a “Mutual Trust Dialogue for Win-Win Cooperation.” Representatives from several European countries were reportedly in attendance. The CMG president Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), also a deputy head of the Central Propaganda Department, used the forum to advocate for deeper media cooperation on pandemic coverage. The event featured the launch of China Business Video, a collaboration between the state-run CCTV+ and Reuters (archived) that “provides Reuters’ customers with financial news content from China,” according to a CCTV+ readout. CCTV+ also reportedly signed a memorandum with the European News Exchange (ENEX) to establish the European Media Partners initiative and launch BizToday, a program on the CCTV+ platform described in state media coverage as a joint Chinese-European news program. The forum exemplifies CMG’s strategy of cultivating media partnerships to expand its international influence.

CMG and RAI Sign Three-Year Collaboration Deal

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Italy’s state broadcaster RAI and the China Media Group signed a three-year memorandum of understanding on March 22, 2019, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Rome, establishing a framework for cultural and media cooperation between the two nations. The agreement, finalized at RAI’s headquarters on Viale Mazzini, brings together the Italian public broadcaster and China’s state media conglomerate to facilitate exchanges in radio, television, cinema and training programs, with RAI CEO Fabrizio Salini emphasizing the accord’s role in promoting cultural values between Italy and China. CMG Director General Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) described both countries as “cultural superpowers,” according to a readout from the Italian broadcaster, while RAI President Marcello Foa highlighted the broadcaster’s mission to open Italy to the world through cultural exchange, building on previous collaborations that included Chinese coverage of the Sanremo Festival.

Formation of Thai-Chinese Journalist Association

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Thai and Chinese journalists established the Thai-Chinese Journalists Association in Bangkok on January 28, 2015, during the 40th anniversary year of Thailand-China diplomatic relations. The organization, comprising Thai journalists and Chinese reporters working in Thailand, stated its mission was “to promote news cooperation and media exchange between Thailand and China, and to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of both countries.” At the inauguration ceremony, China’s Ambassador to Thailand, Ning Fukui (寧賦魁), praised Thai media’s “fair” coverage of China’s development and called the association’s founding “timely” given the anniversary. The association’s board included representatives from major Chinese state media outlets operating in Thailand, including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, China Radio International, and China Central Television, alongside Thai outlets including Thansettakij , Thai Rath, Channel 7, and Spring News television network.

Delegation from People’s Daily Visits Algeria’s El Moudjahid

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A delegation from People’s Daily (人民日報), the Chinese state newspaper, visited the Algerian daily El Moudjahid in June 2024, where staff from both papers discussed historical China-Algeria ties, noting China’s early recognition of Algeria’s provisional government in December 1958. El Moudjahid CEO Brahim Takheroubte discussed potential collaboration with the Chinese delegation, which included eight senior journalists. Founded in 1948, the People’s Daily is the official flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), operating directly under the CCP Central Committee. The paper maintains an Algiers bureau that opened approximately nine months before the June 2024 visit. People’s Daily‘s editorials are widely viewed as reflecting official Chinese government positions.

Chinese Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro Hosts Media Dialogue Session

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On December 9, 2025, the Chinese Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro held a media dialogue session titled “China’s Governance and China-Brazil Cooperation,” as reported by People’s Daily. Consul General Tian Min (田敏) and consular officials gave presentations explaining the significance of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, a major Communist Party leadership meeting held in October 2025 that adopted recommendations for China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). The session also served as a platform for the Party’s messaging on Taiwan, with officials instructing media on “correctly understanding and viewing the Taiwan issue” (正確認識看待台灣問題). Discussions also covered China-Brazil political trust, trade, and cultural exchange. The session was described as having a “friendly and harmonious atmosphere” (氣氛友好融洽) by People’s Daily. Brazilian media attendees included representatives from the daily O Globo, financial newspaper Valor Econômico, political news website Brasil 247, and three other outlets; Chinese media participants included People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and China Media Group.

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.

China and Maldives State Media Sign Cooperation Agreement

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China Media Group (中央廣播電視總臺) and Maldives Public Service Media signed a cooperation memorandum in Beijing on January 10, 2024, during Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s state visit to China. The signing by Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), president of China Media Group and deputy minister of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, and Ibrahim Khaleel, Maldivian Minister at the President’s Office for Strategic Communications, was witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Muizzu. The agreement aims to establish “regular cooperation mechanisms” for content exchange, industry collaboration, personnel exchanges, and technological innovation. State media claimed this would “contribute to media strength to promoting comprehensive strategic partnership relations” between the countries. Maldives Public Service Media, established in 2015, is the country’s official media organization with four TV channels, three radio frequencies, and multiple digital platforms. This agreement followed the upgrading of China-Maldives relations to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” during the same visit, with 20 cooperation documents signed across various sectors.

Chinese Ambassador Criticizes EU Sanctions in Portuguese Press

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On April 26, 2021, the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal published a signed article in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias titled “Jointly Safeguard the Healthy Development of China-EU Relations” (共同維護中歐關係健康發展). In the article, the ambassador expressed “regret” over the EU sanctions targeting Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, saying that China only imposed counter-sanctions as a retaliatory measure, labeling the EU actions as interference in China’s internal affairs. The ambassador also discussed Portugal’s role as the EU’s rotating presidency holder in the first half of 2021 and expressed hope that Portugal would promote “objective” views of China among EU member states. The article followed the levying of joint sanctions in March 2021 by the European Union, the US, Canada and the UK against senior Chinese officials over abuses targeting the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, which prompted Beijing to retaliate by blacklisting numerous EU lawmakers and scholars.