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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

China Daily Runs Inserts In Jakarta Post

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The Jakarta Post, an English language newspaper published by Indonesia’s PT Bina Media Tenggara, a media and consulting firm, reportedly signed a content-sharing arrangement with the Chinese government-run China Daily (中國日報) in 2016 to regularly publish a “China Watch” (看中國) insert. The specific date of the agreement, however, remains undocumented in public sources. China’s Mission to ASEAN stated in October 2016 that the cooperation “opens a new window for the Indonesian people to understand China.” The Indonesian newspaper’s editor-in-chief characterized the collaboration as “purely commercial,” telling Voice of America that China Daily “buys space for ads for its content” with disclaimers, and that there is “no editorial collaboration.” Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of China-Indonesia Studies at the Center of Economic and Law Studies, noted in an interview with Taiwan’s Central News Agency in 2023 that the paper republishes content from China Daily and Xinhua (新華社), as well as articles by Chinese ambassadors. According to CNA, The Jakarta Post has published a full-page insert from the People’s Daily (人民日報), the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, every Friday since late 2023.

People’s Daily and Zambian Media Conduct Joint Reporting on China-Africa Cooperation

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On July 29, 2024, the People’s Daily (人民日報) and several Zambian media outlets conducted a joint reporting visit in Lusaka under the theme “China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era” (新時代中非合作) — described as the first such joint reporting exercise between Chinese and Zambian media conducted on Zambian soil. Journalists from the People’s Daily, the Zambia Daily Mail, and the Daily Nation visited the Lusaka Park of the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (中贊經貿合作區), described in the People’s Daily report as China’s first economic and trade cooperation zone in Africa. According to the People’s Daily, as of June 2024 the zone hosted nearly 90 Chinese enterprises with total investment exceeding 2.7 billion US dollars, and cumulative sales revenue of more than 28 billion US dollars. The joint visit was framed in the People’s Daily as an exercise in “telling the story of China-Zambia and China-Africa cooperation in the new era” (講好新時代中贊、中非合作故事) and “telling the story of high-quality Belt and Road Initiative co-construction” (講好高質量共建一帶一路故事) — formulations that echo Xi Jinping’s directive to “tell China’s story well” (講好中國故事), first issued at the 2013 National Propaganda and Ideology Work Conference. The report was published in the People’s Daily on July 31, 2024.

China and Pakistan Cooperate on Fake News

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On July 10, 2025, Pakistan and China agreed to enhance bilateral media cooperation and develop joint broadcasting projects to combat fake news and disinformation, according to Radio Pakistan — though it was not clear how the sides viewed these concepts, or how they intended to respond. The agreement emerged from a Beijing meeting between Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Cao Shumin (曹淑敏), a deputy minister of the Central Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the CCP. Both officials emphasized creating a “joint narrative against fake news” and promoting technical training and institutional collaboration between their state broadcasters. The discussions included plans for cooperation between China’s national state-run broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), and the national Pakistan Television (PTV), with Tarar highlighting how Pakistani state media entities were already promoting Chinese development stories, the Belt and Road Initiative, and bilateral cooperation to their respective audiences.

Belt and Road Media Forum Held in Yangjiang

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China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) convened nearly 300 media representatives from 20 countries in Yangjiang (陽江), Guangdong Province, on December 7 for the 2025 Silk Road Television Community Summit Forum (絲綢之路電視共同體高峰論壇). Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary Huang Kunming (黃坤明) attended the opening ceremony alongside CMG Director and Central Propaganda Department Deputy Head Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who delivered the keynote address. The state broadcaster used the event to advance media cooperation with countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路) — Beijing’s infrastructure and development program spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe — hosting panels on AI-generated content and international sports broadcasting rights. Participants toured local manufacturing facilities and cultural heritage sites, including the Southern Song dynasty shipwreck “Nanhai No. 1” (南海一號), an 800-year-old merchant vessel salvaged in 2007 that authorities present as historical evidence legitimizing the modern Belt and Road Initiative. The forum released an “International Media Cooperation Yangjiang Initiative” (國際媒體合作陽江倡議) and annual work report for the Silk Road Television Community (絲綢之路電視共同體), a China Media Group-led international broadcasting alliance established in 2016 that now encompasses 149 media institutions from 64 countries. CMG announced new content distribution projects including CGTN Spanish channel broadcasts targeting Latin America. Yangjiang Mayor Yu Jinfu (余金富) delivered remarks in English promoting the coastal city’s role in historical maritime trade routes.

Arab League and China Media Group Sign Cooperation Agreement

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On July 30, 2024, the Arab League (阿拉伯國家聯盟) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on documentary archives, content production, media technology, and personnel exchanges, expanding China’s media footprint across Arab nations. The two organizations planned to produce a documentary for the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, scheduled to premiere at the 2026 China-Arab Summit. Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), deputy head of the CPC Central Committee Publicity Department and CMG president, met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to discuss cultural and media cooperation. In language typical of such diplomatic exchanges, Gheit praised China-Arab cooperation and “commended CMG’s achievements in media technologies.” Echoing Beijing’s preferred narrative about China’s global role, Gheit also expressed confidence that “China’s comprehensive reforms would bring new impetus to global development.”

China Media Group and Vietnam Television Sign Cooperation Agreement

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China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) and Vietnam Television (越南電視台) signed a cooperation memorandum on August 19, 2024, during Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary and President To Lam’s (蘇林) state visit to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and To Lam witnessed the signing. The agreement outlines plans for content exchange, joint productions, and technical cooperation. State media claims this will “contribute to the foundation of public support” for China-Vietnam relations and “promote traditional friendship.” China Media Group, formed in March 2018 from the merger of CCTV, China National Radio, and China Radio International, operates under direct control of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Publicity Department. Vietnam Television operates nine free public channels and three paid platforms. The memorandum represents increased media coordination between the two countries.

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.

CMG Promotes Xi Jinping Quotes in Portuguese

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On November 20, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) launched a Portuguese version of “Quotable Quotes by Xi” Season 3 in Brasília during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Brazil. The show, which features Chinese poetry and sayings quoted in Xi’s speeches, claims to present his “political wisdom” (政治智慧) and “cultural sentiment” while promoting concepts like “community of shared future for mankind” (人類命運共同體). Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who also serves as Brazil’s Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, attended the launch, where Deputy Director of the Central Propaganda Department and CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) said the program would help Brazilians “understand President Xi’s governance philosophy” (習近平主席的治國理政思想). Brazilian officials, including Communications Secretary Paulo Pimenta and Culture Minister Margareth Menezes, praised the series, with the National Media Company pledging to cooperate with CMG in “promoting mutual understanding.” The program was set to air on major Brazilian networks and appear on outdoor screens across Brasília.

China-Central Asia Media Forum Convenes in Kazakhstan

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On May 29, 2025, in Astana, Kazakhstan, China’s People’s Daily and the Kazakh Presidential Radio and Television Administration jointly hosted the 2025 China-Central Asia Media Cooperation Forum, with over 200 media representatives, officials, experts and business representatives attending from China and Central Asian countries. According to official coverage from Chinese state media, the forum prioritized “building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future” (中亚命运共同体), with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sending a congratulatory letter praising China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) as winning “wide recognition from the international community.” Chinese officials, including Hu Heping (胡和平) from the Central Propaganda Department of the CCP (中共中央宣传部), described the event as promoting “civilizational exchange” (文明交流互鉴) and fostering “people-to-people connectivity” (民心相通) through media cooperation. In its focus on bilateral exchange in line with Chinese foreign policy goals, the forum followed the pattern of such ostensibly media events, serving as a platform for Chinese agendas over professional media and journalism exchange.