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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Xiamen University Hosts China-ASEAN Journalism Education Conference

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.

Xi Pens Article for Tajikistan Media

On July 5, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “Working Together for a Brighter Future of China-Tajikistan Relations” (共創中塔關係美好明天) in Tajikistan’s Narodnaya Gazeta newspaper and the state-run Khovar News Agency. The placement of the article corresponded with his state visit to the country, his third since coming to office in late 2012. The visit followed Xi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan. In the article Xi emphasized deepening bilateral cooperation and announced the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” between China and Tajikistan. Xi met with President Emomali Rahmon (埃莫馬利·拉赫蒙) during the visit, where they signed a joint statement on the upgraded relationship. The Narodnaya Gazeta is a government-owned Russian-language newspaper published every three weeks. Khovar is Tajikistan’s official state news agency, established in 1925.Announcement of the publication of Xi’s article was also made through the website of “The Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission,” using coverage by the state-run China Daily. The commission is associated with the SCO but actually run by the Chinese government, with a member of the CCP Central Committee as president — showing how China uses proxy groupings and forums to assist with its external propaganda work.

CMG and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Sign Cooperation MOU

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Pakistan’s state broadcaster, signed a cooperation memorandum with China Media Group on September 2, 2025, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The agreement was among 14 bilateral media cooperation deals CMG struck with broadcasters from 13 countries during the summit, covering news reporting, joint programming, cultural activities, technological innovation, industry development, personnel exchanges, and media resource sharing. The CMG partnership with PBC is part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen SCO media cooperation.

CMG and Kyrgyz National TV Sign Cultural Exchange Letter of Intent

The National Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic (KTRK), Kyrgyzstan’s state broadcaster, signed a letter of intent for joint cultural exchange activities with China Media Group on September 2, 2025, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The agreement was among 14 bilateral media cooperation deals CMG struck with broadcasters from 13 countries during the summit, covering news reporting, joint programming, cultural activities, technological innovation, industry development, personnel exchanges, and media resource sharing. The CMG partnership with KTRK is part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen SCO media cooperation.

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.

CMG and IRNA Sign Cooperation MOU

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s state-controlled news agency, signed a cooperation memorandum with the state-run China Media Group on September 2, 2025, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The agreement was among 14 bilateral media cooperation deals CMG struck with broadcasters from 13 countries during the summit, covering news reporting, joint programming, cultural activities, technological innovation, industry development, personnel exchanges, and media resource sharing. The CMG partnership with IRNA is part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen SCO media cooperation.

China Media Group and Atameken Sign Cooperation MOU

Atameken TV, Kazakhstan’s broadcasting network, signed a cooperation memorandum with the state-run China Media Group on September 2, 2025, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin. The agreement was among 14 bilateral media cooperation deals CMG struck with broadcasters from 13 countries during the summit, covering news reporting, joint programming, cultural activities, technological innovation, industry development, personnel exchanges, and media resource sharing. The CMG partnership with Atameken TV is part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen SCO media cooperation.

China News Service Hosts 12th World Chinese Media Forum

The 12th World Chinese Media Forum (第十二屆世界華文傳媒論壇) opened on September 7, 2025, in Kunming, Yunnan Province, bringing together representatives from over 120 Chinese-language media outlets from more than 50 countries and regions across five continents. Attendees included Huang Huanming (黃煥明), president of Jian Hua Daily (柬華日報), and a representative from Cambodia China Times (柬中時報). The forum was hosted by China News Service (中國新聞社). Chen Xu (陳旭), deputy minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) and director of the State Council Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, attended the opening ceremony alongside Li Baojun (李保俊), Yunnan Provincial Committee Standing Committee member and head of the provincial division of the UFWD. The World Chinese Media Forum, described by official state media as playing a key role in “global Chinese media cooperation and consensus-building,” is a key vehicle for the CCP to exercise influence over media in diaspora communities.

Yunnan Hosts 2025 Global South Media Forum

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Yunnan government jointly hosted the 2025 Global South Media and Think Tank Forum in Kunming, Yunnan Province from September 6-10, gathering 500 journalists, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from more than 260 media outlets across 110 countries. Making the broader diplomatic objectives of the forum clear, Hu Heping (胡和平), a deputy director of the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department, told attendees that China’s Global Governance Initiative (GCI) provides “important guidance” for reforming global governance systems—an agenda China has pushed strongly to carve out a more central role for itself and Russia with talk of more “democratic” (i.e., less US-centric) decision-making. Invoking a key foreign policy principle of Xi Jinping and the central leadership, Xinhua president Fu Hua (傅华) suggested the forum and ongoing cooperation would help build “a community with a shared future for humanity.” Key participants included Khamphan Pheuyavong from Laos’ ruling People’s Revolutionary Party and UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming, who addressed the forum via video calling for enhanced global sustainability and cultural exchanges. Fleming, herself an experienced journalist appointed to her post in 2019, was quoted in official Chinese sources as calling for participants to “restore balance to the global information ecosystem,” a notion that perhaps was intended to signal the need for real inclusiveness, but that in context bolstered China’s efforts to sideline ideas about journalistic and media freedom. Under Xi, China has promoted the idea of “journalism with Chinese characteristics” (中国特色新闻学), with the aim of “transcending the journalism discourse hegemony constructed by the West” (超越西方构建起的新闻话语霸权). The talk of global cooperation on information issues came alongside clear framing of the United States as a destructive player engaging in “cognitive warfare” and “ideological colonization” against Global South nations. The forum promoted cooperation among Global South media and was set to release two signature documents: the Yunnan Consensus pledging expanded cooperative news production, and a research report on China’s contribution to global public intellectual products distilling best practices from South-South initiatives.