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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

China-Indonesia Media Forum

On September 1, 2024, media representatives from Indonesia gathered with their Chinese counterparts at the second annual China-Indonesia Media Forum (中國-印度尼西亞媒體論壇) in Beijing to discuss further cooperation. The event was part of China’s deepening media diplomacy push across Southeast Asia in the hope of shaping perceptions in this strategically key region. The event, organized by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized “the media’s positive role in building a community with a shared future,” referencing a central foreign policy concept closely associated with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平). Indonesian participants included Antara National News Agency, the news site Kumparan, the national daily Republika, the English-language Jakarta Post, the Indonesian free-to-air television network RCTI, and the media portal Merdeka. Mirroring China’s diplomatic positioning of media cooperation, Indonesia’s ambassador to China called on both sides to “step up cooperation in news production” and invited journalists to “report on positive aspects of each respective country.”

China Daily Runs Inserts In Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post, an English language newspaper published by Indonesia’s PT Bina Media Tenggara, a media and consulting firm, reportedly signed a content-sharing arrangement with the Chinese government-run China Daily (中國日報) in 2016 to regularly publish a “China Watch” (看中國) insert. The specific date of the agreement, however, remains undocumented in public sources. China’s Mission to ASEAN stated in October 2016 that the cooperation “opens a new window for the Indonesian people to understand China.” The Indonesian newspaper’s editor-in-chief characterized the collaboration as “purely commercial,” telling Voice of America that China Daily “buys space for ads for its content” with disclaimers, and that there is “no editorial collaboration.” Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of China-Indonesia Studies at the Center of Economic and Law Studies, noted in an interview with Taiwan’s Central News Agency in 2023 that the paper republishes content from China Daily and Xinhua (新華社), as well as articles by Chinese ambassadors. According to CNA, The Jakarta Post has published a full-page insert from the People’s Daily (人民日報), the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, every Friday since late 2023.

CMG Hosts 2020 European Media Cooperation Forum

On December 10, 2020, China Media Group (中國媒體集團) hosted the 2020 European Media Partners Cooperation Online Forum, which the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) called a “Mutual Trust Dialogue for Win-Win Cooperation.” Representatives from several European countries were reportedly in attendance. The CMG president Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), also a deputy head of the Central Propaganda Department, used the forum to advocate for deeper media cooperation on pandemic coverage. The event featured the launch of China Business Video, a collaboration between the state-run CCTV+ and Reuters (archived) that “provides Reuters’ customers with financial news content from China,” according to a CCTV+ readout. CCTV+ also reportedly signed a memorandum with the European News Exchange (ENEX) to establish the European Media Partners initiative and launch BizToday, a program on the CCTV+ platform described in state media coverage as a joint Chinese-European news program. The forum exemplifies CMG’s strategy of cultivating media partnerships to expand its international influence.

Xi Pens article for Serbian Media

On May 7, 2024, the Serbian newspaper Politika published a signed article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) titled “May the Light of Our Ironclad Friendship Shine on the Path of China-Serbia Cooperation” (願中塞鐵桿友誼之光照亮中塞合作之路). The placement of the article corresponded with Xi’s state visit to Serbia. In the article, Xi emphasized the “ironclad friendship” between China and Serbia, highlighting mutual support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. The article also referenced the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia during a NATO aerial bombing campaign on May 7, 1999, which killed three Chinese journalists. Xi’s article referred to the bilateral relationship emotively as a “friendship forged in fresh blood” (中塞两国人民用鲜血凝成的友谊).

Guangxi Hosts Lancang-Mekong Media Cooperation Event

On November 20, 2025, Guangxi Radio and Television (廣西廣播電視台), a provincial-level broadcast media group, hosted the Lancang-Mekong Media Event (瀾湄國家媒體活動) in Nanning, where participating media from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam announced more than 10 collaborative projects, including jointly produced documentaries, broadcast programs, and translated content featuring stories from the Mekong region. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) framework was established in 2016 as a China-led sub-regional mechanism. According to a report by the state-run China News Service (CNS), a representative from Guangxi Radio and Television said that the event aimed to explore innovative media trends and strengthen cooperation among media organizations from the  Lancang-Mekong countries. Joint media productions, all apparently led by China, Included the documentary “Home Among Green Mountains and Waters—Lancang-Mekong in Bloom” (家在青山绿水间—澜湄花开); the multimedia program “Agricultural AI+” (农业AI+); the documentary “Li River” (漓江); the radio drama “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” (三国演义); and a series of China-Thailand micro-dramas and micro-documentaries.

Xi Pens article for Italian Media

On March 20, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “East Meets West — A New Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship” (東西交匯 續寫中意友誼新篇章) in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The placement of the article corresponded with his state visit to Italy at the invitation of President Sergio Mattarella. In the article, Xi emphasized the deep historical connections between Chinese and Italian civilizations as “stellar examples of Eastern and Western civilizations” (東西方文明的傑出代表), tracing the relationship back over 2,000 years to the ancient Silk Road that connected China and ancient Rome. He highlighted that diplomatic relations were established in 1970, with 2020 marking the 50th anniversary. The article particularly focused on advancing Belt and Road cooperation, proposing to align the Belt and Road Initiative with Italy’s plans to develop its northern ports. Xi also emphasized cultural exchanges, recounting how a Chinese professor spent 18 years translating Dante’s Divine Comedy — and referenced Italian Sinologists who he said had built bridges between Europe and China. The visit was strategically significant as Italy officially became the first G7 nation to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative, signing a memorandum of understanding during Xi’s visit on March 23, 2019.

Xi Pens Article for German Newspaper

On July 5, 2017, the German newspaper Die Welt published a signed article by Xi Jinping (習近平) called “To Make the World a Better Place” (共同促進世界更加美好) ahead of the Chinese leader’s state visit to Germany. The article coincided with the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations established in 1972 between the two countries. Xi framed the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations as a success story, highlighting the elevation to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” during his 2014 visit. He emphasized expanding cooperation mechanisms (including over 70 dialogue platforms), growing bilateral trade (170 billion Euros in 2016, with China becoming Germany’s largest trading partner for the first time), and deepening people-to-people exchanges.

Slovak News Agency and CMG Sign Deal

On November 5, 2024, the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) and the News Agency of the Slovak Republic signed a cooperation memorandum during the Slovak Prime Minister’s official visit to China from October 31 to November 5. The deputy director of CMG and TASR’s director general signed the agreement, which called for regular exchanges, content sharing, technological cooperation, and personnel visits between the two state-affiliated media organizations. The agreement coincided with the 75th anniversary of China-Slovakia diplomatic relations and the nation’s broader effort to establish a strategic partnership with China.

Albania Signs Broadcasting Agreement with NRTA

On October 19, 2019, Albania’s public broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, and China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局), a ministry-level agency under the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department supervising state-run television and radio enterprises, signed an agreement to broadcast Chinese television programs in Tirana, the Albanian capital. The deal granted the Albanian broadcaster rights to air “China: Time of Xi” (习近平治国方略:中国这五年), a joint production between Discovery Networks and China’s State Council Information Office that highlighted — and lauded — President Xi Jinping’s policies, as well as the feature film “Kids of Wuzhumuqin Town” (烏珠穆沁的孩子) a children’s drama about Mongolian culture and youth sports. The Chinese Ambassador to Albania stated that the documentary would “open a new window for Albanians to know China.” The agreement also covered cooperation on exchanging television productions, documentaries, cartoons, and staff training.