Belt and Road Media Forum Held in Yangjiang
China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) convened nearly 300 media representatives from 20 countries in Yangjiang (陽江), Guangdong Province, on December 7 for the 2025 Silk Road Television Community Summit Forum (絲綢之路電視共同體高峰論壇). Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary Huang Kunming (黃坤明) attended the opening ceremony alongside CMG Director and Central Propaganda Department Deputy Head Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), who delivered the keynote address. The state broadcaster used the event to advance media cooperation with countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路) — Beijing’s infrastructure and development program spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe — hosting panels on AI-generated content and international sports broadcasting rights. Participants toured local manufacturing facilities and cultural heritage sites, including the Southern Song dynasty shipwreck “Nanhai No. 1” (南海一號), an 800-year-old merchant vessel salvaged in 2007 that authorities present as historical evidence legitimizing the modern Belt and Road Initiative. The forum released an “International Media Cooperation Yangjiang Initiative” (國際媒體合作陽江倡議) and annual work report for the Silk Road Television Community (絲綢之路電視共同體), a China Media Group-led international broadcasting alliance established in 2016 that now encompasses 149 media institutions from 64 countries. CMG announced new content distribution projects including CGTN Spanish channel broadcasts targeting Latin America. Yangjiang Mayor Yu Jinfu (余金富) delivered remarks in English promoting the coastal city’s role in historical maritime trade routes.