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Activity Type: Media Cooperation Agreement

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).

Arab League and China Media Group Sign Cooperation Agreement

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

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

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.

Voice of Vietnam and China Media Group Signed a Cooperation Agreement

Voice of Vietnam (越南之聲廣播電台) and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed a cooperation agreement on April 14, 2025, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) state visit to Vietnam. The agreement, marking the 75th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations established on January 18, 1950, aims to “strengthen bilateral media relations through joint reporting on significant developments in Vietnam-China relations,” according to VOV. The cooperation framework includes exchanging and co-producing media content, supporting reporters from both organizations, conducting staff training exchanges, and sharing communication technology. This collaboration aligns with the “Humanitarian Exchange Year 2025” initiatives and follows VOV’s working visit to CMG headquarters in Beijing in March 2025. The timing coincides with Xi’s broader Southeast Asian tour aimed at strengthening regional ties amid escalating US-China trade tensions.

China and Cambodia Sign Broadcasting Cooperation Plan

China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) (國家廣播電視總局) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Information signed an action plan (2025-2026) for broadcasting cooperation during President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) state visit to Cambodia on April 17. The plan outlines 13 collaborative projects spanning audiovisual policy communication, personnel exchanges, and content and technology industry cooperation. Projects include co-producing documentaries “The Story of Peace—Traveling with Zheng He” (和的故事—跟著鄭和遊山海) and “Neighborliness·Cambodia” (睦鄰·柬埔寨), and launching a Cambodian language version of the Lancang-Mekong Audiovisual App. The content selection reflects Beijing’s historical narratives and regional connectivity themes that serve its strategic messaging objectives. The agreement was part of 37 cooperation documents signed during Xi’s two-day visit, which concluded his three-nation Southeast Asian tou,r including Vietnam and Malaysia.

CMG Signs Cooperation MOU with Thailand TV5

On October 18, 2023, China Media Group (CMG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Thailand’s Public Relations Department (民众联络厅) during Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s attendance at the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum in Beijing. CMG President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who serves as vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, and Thai Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Pongphet Chunlayadej (庞珮·春拉晔) formalized the partnership to enhance media collaboration between the two organizations. Thailand’s Public Relations Department, which operates under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office and oversees multiple official media outlets, including the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, represents a key governmental communications authority. The agreement establishes mechanisms for regular cooperation, news reporting collaboration, personnel exchanges and training, and media technology sharing to “endow ‘Thailand-China Family’ with new era significance,” according to the announcement, marking an expansion of China’s media cooperation with ASEAN partners under the Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路).

CMG Opens Bureau in Nauru

On January 24, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) inaugurated its 192nd overseas bureau in Nauru, coinciding with the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The ceremony at the Nauru Presidential Office was attended by Nauru’s Media Minister Shadlog Bernicke (沙德羅德·貝尼克), who reportedly “welcomed” the Chinese media presence. CMG and Nauru’s Media Department (瑙魯媒體部) signed a “cooperation memorandum” that Chinese officials claimed would “promote mutual trust” and “create a new situation for media cooperation.” According to Chinese state media, this marks the “first media cooperation agreement” since China and Nauru resumed diplomatic relations on January 24, following Nauru’s decision to cut ties with Taiwan just days after Taiwan’s presidential election.

China and Nigeria Advance Media Cooperation Agreement

On March 6, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai (于敦海) met with Nigeria’s Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris in Abuja. Ambassador Yu stated that during the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC) Beijing Summit in 2024, President Xi Jinping and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu jointly announced the elevation of China-Nigeria relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Yu emphasized China’s commitment to implementing agreements from the summit, particularly the television, broadcasting, and news media cooperation memorandum signed during the September 2024 meetings. Minister Idris, who serves as publisher of Blueprint newspaper and chairman of WE FM, expressed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening media cooperation with China and implementing the bilateral agreements signed by both presidents.