Activity Type: Media Partnership or Co-Production

On September 3, 2025, Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), a Chinese-language newspaper founded in Paris in 1983 and now operated under the official China News Service and the United Front Work Department of the CCP, published a written interview with the Chinese ambassador to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In the interview with the newspaper, whose majority shares are held by by the Hong Kong registered Asia Culture Enterprise Limited, or “Ya Zhou Wen Hua Enterprises,” an entity founded in 1997 by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO), the ambassador promoted China’s version of WWII history and portrayed the PRC as a defender of multilateralism. He claimed China was “the main battlefield in the East” and emphasized Taiwan’s return to China as part of the post-war order, while portraying the PRC as the first to sign the UN Charter. However, it was the Republic of China (ROC) under Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government that signed the 1942 UN Declaration and 1945 UN Charter as the leading force fighting Japan. The PRC was established in 1949, four years after the end of WWII. 

Marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France on January 27, 2024, China Media Group (CMG) announced the launch of a special program co-produced with France’s BFM Business called “Brilliant Sixty Years: High-Level Dialogue on the 60th Anniversary of China-France Diplomatic Relations” (璀璨甲子 中法建交60周年高端對話). The program featured an interview with former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, with video remarks from Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), vice minister of the Central Propaganda Department and CMG president, and Lu Shaye (盧沙野), then-Chinese Ambassador to France. The pro-Beijing Hong Kong outlet Wen Wei Po described the collaboration as showcasing “the broad future of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.” The program was broadcast on BFM Business and CGTN French, serving China’s diplomatic messaging around the anniversary, and was also promoted on the nightly official news broadcast on CCTV. 

On May 5, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “Carrying forward the spirit of Sino-French diplomatic relations, jointly promoting world peace and development”  (傳承中法建交精神 共促世界和平發展), in the French newspaper Le Figaro ahead of his state visit to France. The article highlighted the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations and promoted expanded bilateral cooperation. Addressing Europe’s political situation and referencing the war in Ukraine, Xi claimed China has “never initiated a war” and is “the only country among nuclear powers to commit to no first use of nuclear weapons” — claims disputed by historians who cite conflicts including the 1962 Sino-Indian War and 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. On the issue of Ukraine directly, Xi wrote that China “has been playing a constructive role” while expressing understanding for European concerns. The article encouraged French investment in China, particularly in green industries, and called for deeper cooperation on global governance.

On May 29, 2015, French newspaper Le Figaro (費加羅報) published the inaugural French edition of China Watch (中國國家形象專刊), a monthly advertising supplement produced by China’s state-run China Daily (中國日報) and distributed within the pages of Le Figaro. The first issue featured articles on China’s “Made in China 2025” industrial strategy and Beijing’s Winter Olympics bid. The president of China Daily called the French edition “the first step” in expanding beyond English-language markets, and the Chinese Ambassador to France  described the partnership as helping French readers “better understand China.” The collaboration reportedly ended around 2020.