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Activity Category: Media Engagement Activity

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).

CNS Signs Cooperation Deal in Bangladesh

On December 9, 2015, China News Service (中國新聞社) Deputy Director and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Xia Chunping (夏春平) signed a cooperation memorandum with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (孟加拉國國家通訊社) Editor-in-Chief Abul Kalam Azad in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. The agreement outlined collaboration in news exchange, joint interviews, training programs, and joint promotion of Bridge Era: China Newsweek South Asia Edition (橋時代——中國新聞周刊南亞版) in Bangladesh. China News Service is one of two state-level news agencies in China, primarily targeting overseas Chinese and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Xia stated the partnership would “strengthen interconnection” between Chinese and Bangladeshi media under the Belt and Road Initiative framework. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha officials expressed hope the cooperation would “deepen mutual understanding” between the two countries’ peoples. During the visit, Xia’s delegation also met with Bangladesh Press Association Secretary General Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, reaching consensus on enhanced media cooperation.

Bangladesh Newspaper Runs Exclusive Interview with China’s Ambassador

On October 27, 2023, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen (姚文) was interviewed by Bangladesh’s mainstream English-language newspaper The Daily Star. The interview, published on October 28, covered outcomes from the Third Belt and Road Initiative International Cooperation Summit Forum (第三届”一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛), which was held October 17-18, 2023. Yao promoted the forum’s “458 outcomes” and “$97.2 billion in commercial contracts,” alongside China’s announcement of 350 billion yuan ($48 billion) financing windows from development banks and 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) for the Silk Road Fund. The timing reflects Beijing’s coordinated media strategy of leveraging diplomatic events to secure favorable coverage in third-country outlets, using ambassadorial interviews as vehicles for disseminating state messaging.

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.

StarTimes Media and NRTA Sign Content Sharing Agreement

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

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

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).