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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

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.”

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.

China-Iraq Short Video Competition Held

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On January 19, the third annual China-Iraq Short Video Competition held its awards ceremony online. The competition was organized by China National Petroleum Corporation (中國石油天然氣集團公司) Middle East Company alongside Dubai’s China-Arab TV and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Iraq. Reports from official state media said the competition, now in its third year, received 389 entries from “Chinese enterprises, young students, and university scholars” in Iraq under the theme “Light of Two Rivers: Seeing Each Other, Illuminating the World.” Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Cui Wei (崔巍), who was appointed in 2022, attended. The grand prize reportedly went to “I Study Chinese in Iraq,” documenting Iraqi students learning Chinese at Salahaddin University’s Chinese language department, which opened in 2019, and their emotional farewell to departing teacher Hu Zhiwei (胡志偉).

Zhejiang Province and Portugal’s RTP Sign Film Cooperation Agreement

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On October 11, 2024, officials from Zhejiang Province and Portugal’s public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) reported signing a cooperation agreement on film and television at RTP headquarters in Lisbon. Zhao Cheng (趙承), a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and head of the province’s propaganda office, attended alongside Nicolau Santos, who was appointed as RTP’s president in 2021. The agreement was characterized as strengthening cultural ties and expanding the international reach of content to European audiences, according to promotional material. Chen Guangsheng, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, also attended the ceremony.

Ningbo Photography Exhibition Held in Spain

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On September 26, 2025, the “Ningbo Through the Lens” (光影裡的寧波) photography exhibition opened at the China Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain. The photo exhibition was organized by the Ningbo International Communication Center (寧波市對外傳播中心) and China International Publishing Group’s Central and Eastern Europe and Central and South Asia Communication Center (中東歐與中南亞傳播中心). The Ningbo ICC is a city-level body under the local propaganda office and state-run media groups charged with shaping international narratives about Ningbo and China. CICG is a publishing and communication group directly under the Central Propaganda Department. Marcel Leijzer, deputy director of the UN World Tourism Organization’s International Development and Cooperation Department, attended alongside Chinese and Spanish officials. According to Chinese media reports, the exhibition is part of efforts to implement the Action Plan for Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Spain (2025-2028), which was signed during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Beijing in April 2025. The plan outlines cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, technology, and cultural exchanges. The photo exhibition focused on Ningbo’s maritime history and cultural exchanges, and was organized into four themed sections, each with bilingual captions.

RTP and Zhejiang ICC Sign Agreement

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On October 11, 2024, representatives from the Zhejiang International Communication Center (ZICC) and Portugal’s public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) signed a memorandum of understanding to broadcast the Chinese television drama “Just in Time” (時光正好), which follows three women navigating challenges in their personal and professional lives. Established in May 2024 under the guidance of the Zhejiang Provincial Propaganda Office, ZICC has described itself as a “provincial-level ‘central kitchen’ for international communication,” meaning it produces multimedia content intended to serve Xi Jinping’s external propaganda policy of “telling China’s story well.” The ICC is part of a nationwide strategy pushed by the central leadership since 2019, and accelerating since 2022, to enhance the country’s external propaganda and “discourse power” by leveraging the resources of provincial, city and even county-level media and propaganda offices. 

CGTN Airs “China’s Agenda” Programme Across Europe

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In March 2024, the state-run Chinese international broadcaster CGTN organized a series of dialogues across Europe during China’s annual “Two Sessions” (兩會) parliamentary meetings, branded in English as “China’s Agenda” and in Chinese as “Spring in China” (春天裏的中國). The program focused on “Chinese-style modernization” and “New Quality Productive Forces” (新質生產力) — both political terminologies promoted by the Chinese leadership that emphasize innovation-driven economic growth. Hosted by CGTN Europe journalist Juliet Mann, the program aired on March 9, featuring political and business figures from the United States, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Albania, Chile, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Participants included Bert Hofman, former China country director of the World Bank; Marsela Musabelliu, executive director of the Albanian Institute for Globalization Studies; and Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius, who discussed China as a key market for the automaker. CGTN claimed the content reached 150 million people across 176 Western media platforms. Juliet Mann is represented as an anchor-for-hire by Knight Ayton Management.