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Activity Type: Media Partnership or Co-Production

China Media Group and Gazprom-Media Holding Sign Strategic Media Partnership Agreement

On May 16, 2024, Aleksandr Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, and Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), President of China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), signed a media cooperation agreement in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The ceremony coincided with the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations and the China-Russia Year of Culture. Zharov stated that “the friendship between Russia and China has reached the highest level of trust,” while Shen expressed that China Media Group was “ready to share its wisdom and strength for the benefit of the two countries.” Under the agreement, the companies committed to exchanging technological expertise and strengthening news broadcasting cooperation between Russia’s largest media corporation and China’s leading state media organization.

AdnKronos and Xinhua Sign MoU on News Cooperation

In December 2017, Italian news agency AdnKronos and Xinhua News Agency (新華社) signed a cooperation agreement during the fourth World Internet Conference (世界互聯網大會) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. According to a report by PrimaOnline, the agreement covered news exchange, video production, and digital interconnection between the agencies.

Il Sole 24 Ore and Economic Daily Signed a Cooperation Agreement

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.

House of Chinese-Bulgarian Journalists Opens in Bulgaria

On June 29, 2023, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists and the All-China Journalists Association (中華全國新聞工作者協會), China’s state-led professional body for working journalists, signed a memorandum establishing the “House of Chinese-Bulgarian Journalists” in Sofia. The agreement was signed by the executive secretary of the ACJA and the president of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. The Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria, who was also identified as the Special Representative for China-CEEC Cooperation, attended the signing ceremony. Representatives from Xinhua News Agency (新華社), People’s Daily (人民日報), and China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) participated in the event. The platform, described as enabling “seminars, training programs and mutual visits,” builds on the Union of Bulgarian Journalists’ existing practice of organizing annual trips and study visits to China for its members.

Daily Sun Signs Xinhua Cooperation Agreement

Bangladesh’s Daily Sun and Xinhua News Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 20, 2025, that the parties said was aimed at strengthening cooperation to amplify the voices of the Global South through joint communication initiatives. Under the MOU, the parties will jointly establish a Global South Media News Network, publish research reports, and deepen cooperation through platforms including the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum. According to the agreement, Xinhua will host the secretariat for the partnership program, coordinating engagement between partner institutions and organizing workshops, training programs, and high-level forums. The cooperation framework includes content sharing, joint publications, and resource integration, with both parties agreeing to maintain strict confidentiality regarding non-public information. The partnership connects Daily Sun to Xinhua’s broader Global South Joint Communication Partnership Program, which launched in July 2025 and includes nearly 700 partner organizations.

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Summit 2018

The Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and China’s state-run People’s Daily (人民日報) co-hosted the Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation Media Summit (瀾滄江—湄公河合作媒體峰會) in Vientiane from July 1-3, 2018. The meeting was held under the theme “Cooperation in Lancang-Mekong Community for a Bright Future” and gathered senior officials and media representatives from six countries along the river system: Laos, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The summit focused on evaluating the implementation of a joint declaration signed in Beijing the previous year and strengthening cooperation in media, particularly in new media and tourism promotion. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation initiative, established in 2015 by China with the five Mekong countries, represents a multilateral framework for regional cooperation.

NAN and Xinhua Sign Information Partnership Agreement

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) signed a memorandum of understanding with Xinhua News Agency (新華通訊社) in May 2019 to promote China’s Belt and Road Economic Information Partnership (BREIP) initiative. The West Africa Bureau Chief of Xinhua News Agency described the initiative as a “business arrangement to complement the efforts of member countries on the development strategy” related to the Belt and Road Initiative. BREIP was established by Xinhua News Agency in June 2019 as an information-sharing platform connecting news agencies, research institutions, and business associations from countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The partnership aims to facilitate economic information exchange and reduce “information deficit” between participating countries. NAN Managing Director and its Editor-in-Chief expressed support for the initiative, with Onanuga stating it would “protect the interests of countries along the Belt and Road initiative.”

Nanfang Media Group Partners with Five Malaysian Newspapers

On 31 October 2021, China’s Nanfang Media Group (南方報業傳媒集團) signed strategic cooperation framework agreements with five major Malaysian media outlets. The participating Malaysian outlets included Chinese-language newspapers Kwong Wah Yit Poh (光華日報), Oriental Daily News (東方日報), and United Daily News (聯合日報), along with English-language publications The Sun and Malay Mail. The partnership focuses on promoting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and China’s Belt and Road Initiative through content exchange, joint interviews, collaborative field investigations, and cross-promotion of tourism and cultural initiatives between Malaysia and Guangdong. The deputy president and deputy editor-in-chief of Nanfang Media Group stated the cooperation would focus on “joint interviews and collaborative reporting” to “tell Greater Bay Area and Guangdong-Malaysia stories better.” The general manager of Kwong Wah Yit Poh—Malaysia’s oldest Chinese-language newspaper, founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1910—expressed confidence in the partnership, noting his publication’s existing relationships with over ten Chinese media organizations and its role as “the earliest Malaysian Chinese daily to cooperate with Chinese media.”

CMG Signs Deal With Greek Media at Bilateral Dialogue

On October 30, 2023, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) hosted a “China-Greece Belt and Road Dialogue” (中國希臘”一帶一路”對話會) in Athens. The event was attended by former Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who served as president from 2015 to 2020, China Media Group President Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who has headed the umbrella state media organization since 2018, Greek Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias, who served in that role from August 2021 to March 2023, and Chinese Ambassador to Greece Xiao Junzheng (肖軍正). During the event, CMG signed a cooperation memorandum with Greece’s largest financial media outlet, Shipping and Business News (航運與商業報), covering international news reporting and financial content collaboration. CMG also exchanged an agreement with the Greek satellite platform NOVA to broadcast CGTN English and Documentary channels in Greece. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni (麗娜·門佐尼) announced plans for a comprehensive cooperation memorandum with CMG covering multiple joint cultural projects.