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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

Daily Star Joins PRC Poverty Reduction Symposium

On April 6, 2010, Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper, participated in a symposium at the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (中國國際扶貧中心), where he discussed China-Bangladesh cooperation and shared insights on his country’s development experience. The International Poverty Reduction Center was established jointly by the Chinese government, United Nations Development Programme and other international organizations in May 2005, and operates as a direct subsidiary of what was then China’s State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, now reorganized under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. During the session, moderated by Chief Technical Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, Anam highlighted Bangladesh’s progress in areas including democracy building, economic growth, and women’s rights, while discussing China’s role in regional infrastructure and poverty reduction cooperation. Anam, who continues to serve as editor of Bangladesh’s largest English-language newspaper and previously worked for UNESCO as a media expert, emphasized what he described as China’s commitment to peaceful development and suggested increased Chinese participation in South Asian regional forums. The Daily Star, founded in 1991 during Bangladesh’s return to democracy, has gained recognition as an influential English-language publication in the country.

Chinese Ambassador Featured in Bengali Newspaper

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ma Mingqiang (馬明強) gave a joint media interview published on the front page of one of Bangladesh’s largest Bengali-language newspapers Prothom Alo (প্রথম আলো) on October 1, 2017. The interview covered China-Bangladesh relations following President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) October 2016 state visit, which Ma described as “historic”. During the visit, both countries elevated ties to strategic partnership status and signed over 20 cooperation agreements covering energy, power, maritime affairs, security, and climate change. Ma claimed the visit “brought over 400 million US dollars in investment” and that “Bangladesh will board the express train of China’s economic development.” He outlined cooperation progress under the Belt and Road Initiative, including the China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge No. 8 (中孟友誼八橋), Payra coal-fired power plant (帕亞拉燃煤電站), and Chittagong Chinese Industrial Park (吉大港中國工業園區). Ma emphasized China’s role as Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, though he incorrectly stated bilateral trade reached $79.8 billion in the first half of 2017—actual full-year 2017 trade was approximately $12 billion. The interview highlighted expanding people-to-people exchanges, including over 1,000 Chinese scholarships for Bangladeshi students and the establishment of a second Confucius Institute at Dhaka University (達卡大學).

CUC Hosts China-India Youth Roundtable

A China-India Youth Roundtable commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations was held at Communication University of China (中國傳媒大學) on March 26, 2025, organized by the All-China Youth Federation (中華全國青年聯合會). The event, themed “Youth Working Together to Build a Healthy China-India Partnership” (青年携手共筑健康发展的中印伙伴关系), brought together approximately 70 participants, including Indian youth leaders and Chinese academics. CUC Vice President Yang Yi (楊懿) claimed the university has “pioneered” Indian language programs since the 1960s, with graduates becoming “cultural ambassadors” (文化使者). All-China Youth Federation Deputy Secretary-General Dong Xia (董霞) said the “dragon-elephant dance” (龍象共舞) between these major Global South nations would “inject momentum” into regional stability. Indian delegation leader Anuja Yadav stated both populous nations carry a “historic mission” to shape 21st-century global leadership through friendship and cooperation.

Xinhua and Athens Macedonian News Agency Sign Cooperation

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

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.

Content Cooperation Between Literarni Noviny and Guangming Daily

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).

Xinhua and Europa Press Sign Strategic Partnership

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.

Xi Pens Article in Greek Newspaper Before Visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “Let the Wisdom of Ancient Civilizations Illuminate the Future” (讓古老文明的智慧照鑑未來) in Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper on November 10, 2019. The piece appeared ahead of his three-day state visit to Greece at the invitation of President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος). Xi drew parallels between ancient Chinese and Greek philosophy, emphasizing their shared “human-centered” (以民為本) values while promoting Belt and Road (一帶一路) cooperation. He claimed Piraeus had been transformed into the “Mediterranean’s largest port” through a bilateral partnership with Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping (中遠海運), though independent analysis shows it ranks as the largest in the eastern Mediterranean and fourth-largest in Europe.

China Propaganda Chief Meets Mexican Presidential Press Office in Beijing

On September 19, 2012, Liu Yunshan (劉雲山), then Chinese Communist Party Politburo member and head of the Central Propaganda Department (中央宣傳部部長), met with the director of Mexico’s Presidential Press Office at the Great Hall of the People (人民大會堂) in Beijing. According to the official Chinese government report, Liu stated that China-Mexico relations had maintained “good development momentum” (良好發展勢頭) over 40 years of diplomatic relations and expressed desire to “deepen strategic partnership” (深入發展戰略伙伴關係). The Chinese report stated that Liu called for strengthened news media exchanges, particularly in “new media” (新媒體), to allegedly “deepen political mutual trust” (深化政治互信). The Mexican official reportedly agreed that cooperation serves “common interests” (共同利益) and expressed interest in establishing “regular exchange mechanisms” (經常性的交流機制). The meeting included Wang Chen (王晨), director of the State Council Information Office (國務院新聞辦公室), China’s foreign propaganda agency.