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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

CCTV and Laos Ministry of Communication Celebrate Airing of TV Program in Laos

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On November 21, 2023, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) held an event with Laos’s Ministry of Technology and Communications to celebrate the launch of its multimedia cultural program “Chinese Style” (中國風) in Luang Prabang, the UNESCO World Heritage city in northern Laos. Hu Jinjun (胡勁軍), deputy director of China Media Group, and a deputy governor of Luang Prabang Province attended the ceremony and delivered speeches. China Media Group, which encompasses China Central Television (CCTV), was established in 2018 under the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. During the event, Hu emphasized that the program would serve as “a window for Laotian friends to understand China,” according to the Chinese consulate. The Lao-language program airs daily during prime morning hours on Luang Prabang Radio and is simultaneously distributed through local websites and social media platforms, marking an expansion of Chinese state media’s presence in Southeast Asia.

Argentina Chinese Network Joins PRC-led Media Union

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The Argentina Chinese Network (阿根廷華人網), founded by Liu Fangyong (劉芳勇) and others in 2011, received a membership certificate from the Global Chinese Media Cooperation Union (世界華文媒體合作聯盟) in October 2023 during the 11th World Chinese Media Forum in Chengdu, Sichuan, officially becoming an institutional member with certificate number MSA010. The Global Chinese Media Cooperation Union is operated by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) through China News Service (CNS), one of the country’s two official wire services. China News Service became part of the United Front Work Department in 2018 when the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office was absorbed into the UFWD, as documented by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Agence Kampuchea Presse and Xinhua Renew News Exchange Cooperation

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On June 2, 2024, Cambodia’s Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) and China’s Xinhua News Agency (新華社) agreed to deepen their existing cooperation, with Xinhua pledging technical assistance to build AKP’s capacity. The bilateral meeting between AKP Director General Sokmom Nimul and visiting Xinhua Editor-in-Chief Lyu Yansong (吕岩松) emphasized the importance of strengthening media cooperation between the two countries. During the discussions, the AKP director general sought Xinhua’s assistance in building AKP’s capacity through experience sharing and a training programme, describing Xinhua’s support as “a model of good friendship between Cambodia and China,” according to the Khmer Times. In response, Lyu Yansong stated his agency wanted to “expand cooperation between Xinhua and AKP to practical news cooperation to build trust between the Chinese and Cambodian people,” as reported by the publication. This commitment follows the renewal of their Agreement on News Exchange Cooperation in February 2023, reflecting the broader strengthening of Cambodia-China relations across multiple sectors.

China Newsweek Cooperation Agreement with Cina in Italia

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In 2011, the bilingual magazine Cina in Italia (世界中国), based in Rome, was accredited by China News Service as a foreign edition of China Newsweek (中国新闻周刊). Founded in 2001 by Chinese journalist Hu Lanbo (胡蘭波), Cina in Italia initially served Chinese communities in Italy before becoming bilingual in 2007 to bridge Chinese and Italian cultures. China News Service (CNS), which publishes China Newsweek, became part of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) in 2018 when its former host organization, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, was absorbed into the UFWD. The UFWD coordinates China’s overseas influence operations, particularly targeting Chinese diaspora communities. CNS operates under the United Front Work Department and has editorial guidelines “designed to facilitate the production of propaganda that is tailored to the interests of Chinese individuals who are not residing in mainland China.”

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.

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.