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Activity Type: Media Cooperation Agreement

China’s NDA and Chongqing Government Sign Deal with Singapore Media Development Authority

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China’s National Data Administration (国家数据局), the Chongqing Municipal Government (重庆市人民政府) and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (资讯通信媒体发展局) signed a memorandum of understanding on December 15, 2025, to jointly build a digital Land and Sea Corridor (数字陆海新通道), deepening cooperation under the China-Singapore Strategic Connectivity Initiative. The agreement establishes collaboration in three key areas: digital connectivity and cross-border data flows within agreed regulatory frameworks; joint research and application of artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data technologies; and digital talent exchange through workshops, skills certification and training programs. The MOU marks an expansion of the Land and Sea Corridor from physical infrastructure to a dual-track model incorporating digital channels, with parties agreeing to establish regular cooperation mechanisms to advance implementation and inject digital momentum into regional trade, industrial upgrading and economic growth.

AFP and Xinhua Sign Exchange MOU

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On January 18, 2024, the Paris-based global news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) and China’s official Xinhua News Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Beijing. According to Xinhua, the two agencies agreed to jointly hold photo exhibitions in Beijing and Paris in 2024 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations. They also discussed coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Xinhua characterized AFP as “one of the first Western news agencies to establish a friendly and cooperative relationship with Xinhua,” noting their first news exchange protocol in 1957. The agreement was signed at the sidelines of the 5th World Media Summit (第五屆世界媒體峰會) held in China’s southern Guangdong province, and was signed by Xinhua President Fu Hua (傅華) along with AFP CEO Fabrice Fries, a long-time corporate executive with no journalism and media background who has also served as the president of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA).  

iQIYI Signs Cooperation in Middle East

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During the BRIDGE Global Media Summit held in the United Arab Emirates in December 2025, Chinese streaming platform iQIYI (爱奇艺) announced a strategic cooperation with the UAE-based BRIDGE Alliance, an initiative overseen by the UAE National Media Office. The cooperation reportedly involves plans for joint IP development, film and television production and distribution, virtual production and VR applications, and media technology exchanges focused on the Middle East and North Africa. iQIYI (爱奇艺) framed the announcement as a further step in expanding its regional presence following the launch of its MENA service in May 2025. However, the scope, funding, and concrete outcomes of the cooperation remain unspecified, and claims about ecosystem building and cross-regional impact originate primarily from the participating parties and have yet to be independently substantiated.

Deutsche Welle-CCTV Cooperation Agreement

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In August and September 2014, Deutsche Welle (德國之聲) Director General Peter Limbourg announced cooperation agreements with China Central Television (中央電視台), including co-productions in music and business programming. Just months later, in early 2015, Deutsche Welle announced it would temporarily suspend the partnership after it came under scrutiny from the German Bundestag, according to testimony given by journalist Su Yutong before a hearing of the US Congressional-Executive Commission in 2016. Su’s CECC testimony alleged that Deutsche Welle had softened the stance of the network’s Chinese-language coverage on China after a meeting between Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde and Peter Limbourg. The announced 2014 cooperation between Deutsche Welle and CCTV also drew strong criticism at the time from Reporters Without Borders Germany, which called it “incompatible” with DW’s mission, noting CCTV’s role in China’s “repressive apparatus” against journalists.

UNICEF Partners with Shanghai State Media Outlet

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On December 4, The Paper (澎湃新闻), a CCP-run media outlet in the municipality of Shanghai, signed an MoU with UNICEF China, pledging to jointly promote children’s issues, including climate change, mental health, and early childhood development. The partnership grants the Party-controlled outlet — which describes itself as a “responsible internet-based mainstream media platform” — a formal relationship with the UN agency to advance coverage of children’s rights. The MOU was signed by The Paper’s editor-in-chief Liu Yonggang (刘永钢) and UNICEF representative Cynthia McCaffrey (桑爱玲), establishing what both sides characterized as a “strategic partnership.” According to the UNICEF website, McCaffrey was the China representative for the office through October 2022, when she was promoted as head of the India office.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

AGI and Xinhua Sign News Sharing Agreement

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On April 8, 2014, Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (AGI) and Xinhua News Agency (新華社) signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration on economic news sharing and content exchange between Italy and China. The agreement was signed by both agencies’s CEO’s. According to AGI’s announcement, the partnership would cover “sharing of news, expertise and experiences on commercial and cultural processes between Italy and China,” as well as the joint organization of training activities.

Il Sole 24 Ore and Economic Daily Signed a Cooperation Agreement

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On March 20, 2019, the state-run Economic Daily (經濟日報) and Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore signed a cooperation agreement in Rome to collaborate on a segment called”Focus on China: China Economic Special” (聚焦中國·中國經濟特刊) to be published in Il Sole 24 Ore. The collaboration subsequently drew sharp criticism when Il Sole 24 Ore journalists denounced the publication of four-page advertorials as “pure propaganda” that promoted Chinese investment opportunities without transparent disclosure. Staff characterized the content as placing their newspaper “at the disposal of an economic system and a State” lacking democratic freedoms, calling the styling “highly ambiguous” and the recurrence “aggravating recidivism.” The Economic Daily is a central-level CCP newspaper directly under the Central Propaganda Department.

China-Indonesia Media Forum

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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.”

Guangxi Hosts Lancang-Mekong Media Cooperation Event

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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.