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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Xinhua and Athens Macedonian News Agency Sign Cooperation

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On July 4, 2016, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency and Greece’s Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) signed a cooperation agreement in Athens during a ceremony at the General Secretariat for Information and Communication. Xinhua editor-in-chief He Ping (何平) and AMNA President Michalis Psilos participated in the signing, with Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli present. According to Xinhua’s account, the two officials later met in Beijing in July 2016, where He Ping suggested they “strengthen cooperation in areas including information, resources, and personnel exchanges” to “help deepen the China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership.” Psilos called the agreement “a strategic milestone” and expressed hope that it would “enable more Greek people to know about China via the state-run media.”

Ambassador Featured in Saudi Media

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In an interview with Saudi newspapers Riyadh Daily (利雅得報) and Al-Eqtisadiah (經濟報) in April 2024, outgoing Chinese Ambassador Chen Weiqing (陳偉慶) characterized bilateral relations as “full of spring’s new greenery on the ancient Silk Road” (丝路古道满眼生机，中沙关系充满春的新绿). He praised Saudi’s social and economic diversification efforts under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership. The ambassador highlighted cooperation through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路) and Saudi’s Vision 2030, pointing to Chinese companies’ involvement in major Saudi projects including NEOM, a planned futuristic city, and the Red Sea Project, a regenerative tourism initiative. Chen, who served five years in the position from 2019-2024, stated that bilateral trade had “increased by nearly 40 percent” during his tenure, from $780 billion in 2019 to over $1 trillion in 2023, and expressed his desire to return in 2030 to “witness the realization of Vision 2030.” The interviews featured extensive Chinese Communist Party terminology, including references to the “China-Arab community of shared destiny for the new era” (面向新時代的中阿命運共同體) and the “eight major joint actions” (八大共同行動) covering development, food security, health, green innovation, energy security, intercultural dialogue, youth empowerment, and security stability.

StarTimes Media and NRTA Sign Content Sharing Agreement

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China’s National Radio and Television Administration (國家廣播電視總局) and StarTimes Media Kenya signed a media cooperation agreement in Nairobi on July 1, 2024. NRTA Deputy Director Dong Xin (董新), who previously served as China Mobile CEO before his appointment to the media regulator in January 2024, said the deal would “help build bridges of friendship and mutual understanding” through content sharing, according to state media. The event launched “China TV Theater” and included a licensing agreement with Kenya’s Citizen Television for the drama series “Welcome to Milele Village” (歡迎來到麥樂村), which tells the story of Chinese medical teams working in Africa. Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Edward Kisiang’ani said they hoped for “two-way exchanges” where “Kenyan content will also be viewed in China,” as reported by the outlet. The NRTA, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department, actively promotes China’s international media partnerships through state-controlled entities and cultural exchanges.

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.

Content Cooperation Between Literarni Noviny and Guangming Daily

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A Guangming Daily (光明日報) delegation visited the Czech Central European News Agency in July 2019, where the collaboration with Czech publication Literární noviny was characterized as “part of the country’s large-scale foreign propaganda work” (國家大外宣工作). The partnership included a Czech-language supplement called “Dossier” featuring content about traditional Chinese medicine, Shanghai, and Zhejiang province that published three issues with many articles written by Czech journalists and writers. The delegation, including Zhang Yeqing (張業清), Tan Limin (譚莉敏), Song Leyong (宋樂永) and Liu Jiaming (劉家銘), also met with representatives of the official China News Service Prague bureau. The lunch meeting at the Huanghe Restaurant included restaurant owner Xia Kangping (夏康平), Grant European Chamber of Commerce President Jia Jianping (賈建平), and Guangming Daily‘s current Prague correspondent Zhong Weikai (仲偉凱).

Denmark and China Sign a Film Co-Production Agreement

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On May 3, 2017, Denmark signed a film co-production agreement with China during Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s official visit to Beijing. The agreement was negotiated between China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) (國家新聞出版廣電總局) and the Danish Film Institute (Det Danske Filminstitut) (丹麥電影中心). Danish Film Institute CEO Henrik Bo Nielsen signed the agreement at a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) and Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen in attendance. The co-production agreement grants film projects access to national film support and theatrical markets in both countries. Danish films co-produced with Chinese partners would not be subject to China’s import quota of a maximum of 38 foreign films annually, instead gaining equal access to the Chinese market. Nielsen stated that the agreement “will be important to both parties, both economically and culturally” and that “encounters that take place when we exchange and cooperate on art and culture are both inspiring and necessary for mutual understanding.”

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.”

CCP Media Group Launches Column in German Paper

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China Media Group (CMG) (中央廣播電視總台) and Germany’s Berliner Zeitung (柏林日報) launched a new column in November 2024 called “China Perspective,” featuring articles by CMG reporters. The column’s first piece, published on November 16, analyzed Volkswagen’s factory closures while highlighting China’s developments in electric vehicles. A second article, published on November 30, discussed the C919 commercial airliner and promoted Beijing’s narrative that China is “becoming an important global player” in aviation, citing developments in fighter jets and transport aircraft. CMG, which is under direct control of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, frames this collaboration as providing Germans with “a new channel to understand China.” In reality, this partnership represents what analysts have identified as China’s “borrowed boat” strategy—a documented approach of utilizing foreign media platforms to advance state messaging internationally through content placement arrangements.

Xinhua and Europa Press Sign Strategic Partnership

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On October 25, 2019, China’s Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and Spain’s Europa Press announced a collaboration agreement that both parties described as “a privileged broadcast channel” for Spain in China. Europa Press, Spain’s largest private news agency, partnered with the Chinese state-run agency in what Xinhua characterizes as part of its broader external propaganda. The agreement aimed to provide dual benefits: offering Spanish institutions and businesses a distribution channel to China and internationally through Xinhua, while increasing Chinese news coverage in Europa Press’s International Service. This partnership reflects Xinhua’s broader strategy of establishing content-sharing agreements with international news agencies worldwide, which critics have noted can facilitate the dissemination of Chinese government messaging to global audiences.