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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Chinese Embassy and Xinhua Host Cultural Event in Tokyo

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On February 18, 2025, in Tokyo, Xinhua News Agency and China’s embassy to Japan co-hosted a media and think tank dialogue that brought together approximately 160 Chinese and Japanese representatives. Xinhua News Agency President Fu Hua (傅華) emphasized China and Japan’s “profound historical and cultural roots” and the “great potential for people-to-people and cultural exchanges,” while Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao (吳江浩) noted that Sino-Japanese relations were at a “critical period of improvement and development” despite “serious disagreements and differences that need to be properly managed.” At the event, Xinhua issued a think tank report titled “Promoting the Development and Progress of Human Civilization through Exchange and Mutual Learning.” Japanese participants included Japan-China Association Chairman Takeshi Noda (野田毅), Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union Secretary General Shoichi Kondo (近藤昭一), and Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings Chairman Takashi Sasaki (佐々木卓), who emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral dialogue and cultural exchanges under current international circumstances.

China-Thai Media Forum

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On January 17, 2025, a Sino-Thai media cooperation forum titled “Our Golden Friendship: Joining Hands to Build a China-Thailand Community with a Shared Future Media and Think Tank Dialogue” (我们金色的友谊：携手构建中泰命运共同体媒体智库对话会) was held in Bangkok, bringing together journalists, media specialists, and think tank researchers from both countries to discuss what they characterized as the responsibility of media and think tanks in both countries to “promote mutual trust and cooperation” as China-Thailand relations approach their 50th anniversary in 2025. Former Thai Deputy Prime Minister Pinit Jarusombat (披尼) emphasized the importance of leveraging media and think tanks to “strengthen people-to-people connections” between the two nations. The forum was organized by China International Communication Group (中国外文局), or CICG, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, and Yunnan Province’s Propaganda Office, with key attendees including Gao Anming (高岸明), Editor-in-Chief of China International Communication Group, and General Surasit Thanatthang (苏拉西·塔纳唐) from the National Research Council of Thailand. Chinese Ambassador Han Zhiqiang (韩志强) delivered a video address highlighting the bilateral partnership.

Sichuan Daily and Radio Cooperativa Make Media Deal

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The Sichuan International Communication Center (四川國際傳播中心), operated by the Sichuan Daily Press Group (四川日報報業集團), hosted the signing of a news exchange agreement with Chile’s Radio Cooperativa on August 29, 2024, during the 2024 “Belt and Road” Media Cooperation Forum in Chengdu. The center, which claimed to reach “more than 20 million overseas users,” describes itself as a “key provincial professional institution” under Sichuan’s five-year plan for international communications. Radio Cooperativa, broadcasting since 1935, covers major Chilean cities and provides online content globally. The agencies said they would cooperate on “content interchange, personnel exchange, and activity planning” to promote what they called “people-to-people exchanges” and enhance the “Sino-Chilean Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” which Chile and China established in 2016. The Sichuan center is part of China’s broader network of International Communication Centers established by provinces under central government supervision to coordinate foreign-directed media efforts.

China and Bangladesh Sign MOU on Radio and Television Cooperation

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On July 10, 2024, during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official visit to China, China’s National Radio and Television Administration Director Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) signed a cooperation agreement with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, represented by Bangladesh Television Director Mahmud Jahangir Alam. The signing was witnessed by both countries’ prime ministers, Li Qiang (李強) and Sheikh Hasina. The agreement establishes cooperation covering policy communication, program exchanges, joint production, personnel training, and technical collaboration in broadcasting and television. The media cooperation occurred during Hasina’s three-day visit from July 8-10, which elevated bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” However, the visit concluded with Hasina departing Beijing earlier than planned, with reports suggesting dissatisfaction over China providing only limited financial assistance compared to expectations of $5 billion in loans.

Xinhua and China Media Group Ink Deals with Sangbad Sangstha and Bangladesh Television

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Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Bangladesh’s national news agency, signed cooperation agreements with Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) on July 10, 2024, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s state visit to China. BSS Managing Director and Chief Editor Abul Kalam Azad signed memorandums that officials said would “extend beneficial cooperation” in news and information exchange. The agencies reported they would conduct “multilevel and wide-ranging cooperation,” including “personal exchanges, training, and seminars” for journalists and technical experts. The agreements called for what was described as “technological exchanges” and “innovation and development in media technologies,” with officials noting all activities would operate “in accordance with their respective domestic laws.” The signing occurred during a high-level exchange that officials said was meant to enhance “mutual understanding” between the agencies during Hasina’s July 8-10 visit to Beijing.

Star Media Group Partnership with Contemporary World

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Star Media Group (SMG) and China’s Contemporary World magazine (當代世界), which operates under the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, signed a cooperation agreement in Kuala Lumpur on April 2, 2024. SMG CEO Chan Seng Fatt (陳成發) called the partnership a “golden opportunity” that would bridge regional divides through “concerted media collaboration,” acknowledging challenges including “language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and differing political landscapes.” Contemporary World Magazine Director General Lu Xuejun (盧學軍) said the initiative followed discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in March 2023, describing the media’s role as serving as a “bridge between the countries’ citizens” – typical rhetoric used by Chinese state media to frame overseas media partnerships as cultural exchange rather than external propaganda. The agreement, signed during the Contemporary World: Cultural Exchange roundtable, coincided with Malaysia-China’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations celebrations.

Chinese Ambassador to Italy Meets Deputy Director of Italy’s TG5

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On July 25, 2017, Chinese Ambassador Li Ruiyu (李瑞宇) met with Enrico Rondoni, Deputy Director of TG5, an Italian television news channel owned by Mediaset Italia S.P.A. During the meeting, Li presented exchanges and achievements between Italy and China in politics, commerce, culture, and technology. Li expressed hope that TG5 would enhance coverage of China’s economic development to give Italians “a more complete and objective idea of China.” Rondoni has served as Deputy Director of TG5 since 2006, after being Central Editor and Foreign Editor for nine years. The event was attended by Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ivan Scalfarotto, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Country System Promotion Vincenzo De Luca, and Italian Ambassador to China Ettore Francesco Sequi, alongside representatives from Italian government, business and media.

Media Seminar in Beijing with Delegation of Laos and Myanmar Journalists

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In September 2017, thirteen journalists from Laos and Myanmar participated in a two-week seminar in Beijing focused on China’s development, media roles, and social responsibility. The closing ceremony was held on September 28, 2017, attended by Zhao Lijun (赵立军), Director of the China International Publishing Group (中国外文局) Training Center. The seminar aimed “to enhance the traditional friendship and cooperation between China and the two ASEAN member countries,” according to the Lao News Agency (KPL). Officials briefed participants on China’s development policies and achievements since its 1978 economic reforms. Zhao stated that the Belt and Road Initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping, “upholds shared consultation, shared construction and shared benefits” and is “inclusive rather than exclusive.” The program included visits to Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and Guangdong province to observe media operations and regional development.

Nouvelles d’Europe Collaboration with Xinmin Evening News

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Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), established in 1983, partnered with Shanghai’s Xinmin Evening News (新民晚報) to launch Europe Weekly (歐洲聯合週報) in Paris in February 2005. The weekly newspaper published on Saturdays and said it focused on “helping Chinese integrate into mainstream European society” and providing information about “development opportunities in China.” The paper described itself as combining “knowledge, entertainment, interactivity, and practicality” with sections on European law, global news, and China-focused content. Nouvelles d’Europe reported that editions were published in France, Austria, Germany, and Hungary, with 36 pages covering topics from “European focus” (歐陸聚焦) to “returning to China guide” (回國指南). The weekly ceased publication in 2008.