Skip to main content

Activity Type: Media Partnership or Co-Production

Italy and China Renew Film Co-Production Agreement

Written by Editors on .

On February 2, 2026, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli signed a film co-production agreement in Beijing with Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), president of China Media Group and a deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department. The agreement aims to facilitate joint film productions between Italian and Chinese companies, allowing co-produced works to qualify as domestic content in both countries, which might allow Italian co-productions to bypass China’s foreign film quota system. The agreement followed the June 2025 broadcast of the CMG-produced series “Il Guardiano del Patrimonio” across more than 30 Italian media outlets, a production promoting Xi Jinping’s cultural philosophy that was launched at a ceremony in Rome attended by Shen and Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara.

CMG and Spanish Ministry of Culture Sign MOU

Written by Editors on .

On September 9, 2024, China Media Group (CMG) and Spain’s Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum for strategic cooperation on broadcasting and film production. According to a report from China Central Television, the state-run broadcaster under CMG, the memorandum establishes “a regular cooperation mechanism” for cultural heritage protection and personnel exchanges, and commits both parties to “joint production and broadcasting of cultural programs” (文化節目聯合制播). The deal means CMG can co-produce documentaries and content about Spanish culture and China-Spain relations that will be broadcast on CMG’s networks in China and internationally, while Spain’s Ministry of Culture gains access (in principle) to CMG’s production resources and Chinese broadcast markets. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez witnessed the signing during Sánchez’s second official visit to China. 

China-Iraq Short Video Competition Held

Written by Editors on .

On January 19, the third annual China-Iraq Short Video Competition held its awards ceremony online. The competition was organized by China National Petroleum Corporation (中國石油天然氣集團公司) Middle East Company alongside Dubai’s China-Arab TV and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Iraq. Reports from official state media said the competition, now in its third year, received 389 entries from “Chinese enterprises, young students, and university scholars” in Iraq under the theme “Light of Two Rivers: Seeing Each Other, Illuminating the World.” Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Cui Wei (崔巍), who was appointed in 2022, attended. The grand prize reportedly went to “I Study Chinese in Iraq,” documenting Iraqi students learning Chinese at Salahaddin University’s Chinese language department, which opened in 2019, and their emotional farewell to departing teacher Hu Zhiwei (胡志偉).

Zhejiang Province and Portugal’s RTP Sign Film Cooperation Agreement

Written by Editors on .

On October 11, 2024, officials from Zhejiang Province and Portugal’s public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) reported signing a cooperation agreement on film and television at RTP headquarters in Lisbon. Zhao Cheng (趙承), a member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and head of the province’s propaganda office, attended alongside Nicolau Santos, who was appointed as RTP’s president in 2021. The agreement was characterized as strengthening cultural ties and expanding the international reach of content to European audiences, according to promotional material. Chen Guangsheng, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, also attended the ceremony.

Ningbo Photography Exhibition Held in Spain

Written by Editors on .

On September 26, 2025, the “Ningbo Through the Lens” (光影裡的寧波) photography exhibition opened at the China Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain. The photo exhibition was organized by the Ningbo International Communication Center (寧波市對外傳播中心) and China International Publishing Group’s Central and Eastern Europe and Central and South Asia Communication Center (中東歐與中南亞傳播中心). The Ningbo ICC is a city-level body under the local propaganda office and state-run media groups charged with shaping international narratives about Ningbo and China. CICG is a publishing and communication group directly under the Central Propaganda Department. Marcel Leijzer, deputy director of the UN World Tourism Organization’s International Development and Cooperation Department, attended alongside Chinese and Spanish officials. According to Chinese media reports, the exhibition is part of efforts to implement the Action Plan for Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Spain (2025-2028), which was signed during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Beijing in April 2025. The plan outlines cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, technology, and cultural exchanges. The photo exhibition focused on Ningbo’s maritime history and cultural exchanges, and was organized into four themed sections, each with bilingual captions.

CMG Signs Broadcasting Agreement with La Liga

Written by Editors on .

On September 12, 2024, China Media Group (CMG) and La Liga, the Spanish football league, signed a media cooperation agreement in Beijing. The agreement, signed by CMG President Shen Haixiong (沈海雄) and La Liga President Javier Tebas, granted CMG broadcasting rights for the 2024-25 La Liga season across television and digital platforms. According to CMG, the parties also agreed to cooperate on commercial exchanges and youth football development. Tebas said La Liga wanted to share its operational experience to help “promote the development of the football industry in China.”The signing coincided with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s visit to China, during which he met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). 

China and Portugal Launch Media Platform

Written by Editors on .

On May 23, 2025, the Nanfang Media Group (南方報業傳媒集團), a Guangzhou-based state media conglomerate under the provincial CCP Committee, jointly launched a media platform in Lisbon with Guangdong’s South International Communication Center (南方國際傳播中心) and the China-Portugal Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The South International Communication Center editor-in-chief stated that the “Greater Bay Area Chinese-Portuguese Media Content Platform” would collaborate with Portuguese media and think tanks to disseminate “stories of Chinese-style modernization” (中國式現代化故事) as well as stories of China-Portugal cooperation to Portuguese-speaking audiences. The Chinese Ambassador to Portugal attended the event, saying that the platform could help introduce China to Portuguese-speaking countries and vice versa. According to state media reporting, representatives from Iris FM and Global Media Group also participated. 

CMG Signs Animation Cooperation with RTP

Written by Editors on .

In August 2023, officials from China Media Group visited Portugal’s public broadcaster, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal), to formalize cooperation on the animated series “O Panda e o Galo” (The Panda and the Rooster), featuring a Portuguese Barcelos rooster and a Chinese panda. During the ceremony, a Letter of Intent was signed between RTP and CMG’s children’s programming department for potential future cooperation projects. The Chinese Ambassador to Portugal characterized the partnership as an opportunity to “strengthen friendship between the two peoples.” The 52-episode animation series aired as part of CMG’s broader initiative featuring international panda-related co-productions with multiple countries, including Russia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Chinese Ambassador Criticizes EU Sanctions in Portuguese Press

Written by Editors on .

On April 26, 2021, the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal published a signed article in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias titled “Jointly Safeguard the Healthy Development of China-EU Relations” (共同維護中歐關係健康發展). In the article, the ambassador expressed “regret” over the EU sanctions targeting Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, saying that China only imposed counter-sanctions as a retaliatory measure, labeling the EU actions as interference in China’s internal affairs. The ambassador also discussed Portugal’s role as the EU’s rotating presidency holder in the first half of 2021 and expressed hope that Portugal would promote “objective” views of China among EU member states. The article followed the levying of joint sanctions in March 2021 by the European Union, the US, Canada and the UK against senior Chinese officials over abuses targeting the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, which prompted Beijing to retaliate by blacklisting numerous EU lawmakers and scholars.