On April 25, 2017, Wang Dongmei (王冬梅), secretary of the All-China Journalists Association (中國記協), met with 42 journalists from 39 countries across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia in Beijing. Wang emphasized China’s growing economic and media ties with these regions, claiming the journalists’ association follows principles of “openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit” (開放、合作、共贏) while promoting Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路). The foreign journalists were invited by the China-Africa Press Exchange Center (中非新聞交流中心) and China-South Asia Southeast Asia Exchange Center (中國-南亞東南亞交流中心), which were established in 2014 and 2016 respectively under China’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework. These centers arrange 10-month programs for international journalists featuring themed reporting and cultural experiences, with the China-Africa Press Exchange Center placing “African journalists in Chinese media outlets on 10-month assignments where they work in Chinese newsrooms and report on high-level CCP activities.”
Organized around the 2025 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum (2025″一带一路”媒体合作论坛), a joint Chinese and foreign media interview team (中外媒体联合采访团) conducted multi-city site visits across China — reported in the CCP’s official People’s Daily on February 12, 2026. The government-facilitated journalist delegation toured five locations: State Power Investment’s Shizitan Hydroelectric Station in Chongqing, China Overseas Land’s Daji Lane commercial district (中海大吉巷商圈) in Beijing, Yili’s Yunnan dairy factory, Fenjiu Group’s distillery in Shanxi, and Great Wall Motors’ Xushui plant in Hebei. Participating foreign media included outlets from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Cuba, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, and Lesotho. “In China, I saw the process of technological development. The Shizitan Hydropower Station is evidence of modernized development,” said Catherine Gulua, founder and editor-in-chief of Georgia’s Mutavari Media Center, on her third documented China visit since 2023. A previous journalist tour, including Gulua, provided a clear opportunity for Chinese state media to promote positive views of the country in the voice of visiting journalists, a common tactic for organized tours, which are not purely educational.
The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh hosted a China-Bangladesh media cooperation seminar on July 8, 2018, with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Zuo (張佐) delivering remarks and Bangladesh Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu serving as chief guest. The seminar brought together executives from major Bangladeshi media outlets including United News of Bangladesh, Daily Naya Diganta, The Independent, The Financial Express, NTV, RTV, and ATN, with over 30 local media organizations and Press Trust of India reporters covering the event. Also participating was Aaj Kaal, an Indian newspaper based in Kolkata. Ambassador Zhang proposed four recommendations for strengthening bilateral media cooperation, encouraging Bangladeshi media to serve as “amplifiers” for China-Bangladesh relations, “seeders” of friendship, and “promoters” of cooperation. Minister Inu praised the strategic partnership’s development and expressed government support for enhanced media collaboration. Prior to the seminar, Zhang met privately with Inu to discuss bilateral relations and media cooperation.
On July 22, 2025, the All-China Journalists Association’s (中国记协) Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Department organized an exchange event in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa between overseas Chinese-language media and Tibetan media outlets, bringing together 30 representatives from Chinese-language media organizations across 18 countries and five continents who toured facilities at the official Tibet Daily (西藏日报), the paper under the local committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Tibet Broadcasting and Television Station (西藏广播电视台), the state-run broadcaster in the region. Also attending were government-run multimedia centers and representatives from the Tibet International Communication Center (西藏国际传播中心), an ICC created to conduct external propaganda for the Tibetan CCP leadership. Among the foreign media taking part in the event were Cambodia’s Jian Hua Daily (柬华日报), Japan’s Chubun (中文导报), Canada’s Seven Days Media (七天傳媒), Australia’s AUS-China TV Media (澳视传媒), Fiji Daily (斐济日报), New Zealand’s Home Voice Chinese News (乡音报), Portugal’s Europe Weekly (葡华报), and the Central and Eastern Europe edition of the European Times (欧洲时报中东欧版), which is produced from the outlet’s offices in Austria. The event was aimed at advancing media transformation, strengthening international cooperation, and collectively “telling Tibet’s story in the new era” (讲好新时代中国西藏故事) — agendas echoing the official narratives of the CCP leadership.
On April 21, 2025, the China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), a state-run media conglomerate under China’s Central Propaganda Department, hosted a seminar in Pakistan commemorating President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the country a decade ago. Held in Islamabad, the diplomatic event was jointly organized by the National Library of Pakistan, featuring prominent government officials reflecting on the impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — a sea and land-based infrastructure network that is meant to further integrate China and parts of South Asia. Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh called Xi’s visit in 2015 “a pivotal moment in bilateral relations,” while Minister of State for National Heritage and Culture Huzaifa Rehman described CPEC as “an economic lifeline” for Pakistan during challenging times. Parliamentary Secretary for IT and Telecommunications Sabheen Ghoury emphasized what she called the “all-weather friendship” between the nations. The event again underscored the key role of central Chinese state media in bilateral diplomacy.
In March 2026, the PRC invited a select group of Salvadoran journalists, primarily from state-aligned outlets, to cover the annual “Two Sessions” political event in Beijing. Such invitations generally include all-expenses-paid travel and “capacity building” workshops that emphasize the successes of the Chinese socialist model. By providing exclusive access to high-level political meetings, the PRC ensures that the resulting coverage in El Salvador mirrors the official Chinese perspective on sensitive topics like the “One China” principle and Chinese investments and infrastructure support that, some critics argue, serve geopolitical objectives that could be damaging to the country.
The 7th China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum was held in Chongqing from November 4 to 6, 2025. The event, co-hosted by China’s National Radio and Television Administration (中國國家廣播電視總局), or NRTA, the People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality (重慶市人民政府), the Arab League Secretariat, and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, brought together representatives from China and Arab nations, including officials from Palestine’s Broadcasting Authority, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), and Mauritania’s High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l’Audiovisuel en Mauritanie). Participants issued a joint declaration on cooperation in news reporting, content creation, technological innovation, and personnel exchanges, while announcing over 50 cooperation outcomes. The forum represents China’s ongoing efforts to strengthen media partnerships with Arab states, dating back to the forum’s inception in 2011.
A delegation of Vietnamese mainstream news media organizations held talks with the Fujian International Communication Center (福建國際傳播中心) in Fuzhou on June 11, 2026. The Fujian International Communication Center was established on June 21, 2023, under the direction of the propaganda office of the Fujian CCP Committee and is operated by Fujian Media Group (福建省廣播影視集團). Lai Han (賴晗), general manager of Fujian New Era International Communication Center Co., Ltd. (福建新時代國際傳播中心有限公司), attended and spoke at the session, expressing interest in exchanging international communication experience and sharing content innovation and digital platform skills with the Vietnamese delegates. The session took place within the framework of the “2026–2027 China-Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Year” — a bilateral diplomatic initiative announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese General Secretary and President Tô Lâm in April 2026 — and was framed by participants as an opportunity to jointly “tell the story” of Vietnam-China friendship and promote people-to-people ties. Participants discussed trends in digital and cross-border communication and exchanged experience in what the VNA described as promoting “the effectiveness of media information outreach.” The delegation also toured Fujian Media Group’s studio facilities.
The Chinese Press Institute (中國新聞學會), or CPI, a Taipei-based journalism association founded in 1941 and re-established in Taiwan in 1965, conducted an eight-day visit to Shenzhen and Beijing from September 18–25, 2024, under arrangements made by the All-China Journalists Association (中華全國新聞工作者協會), or ACJA, the Chinese Communist Party-led press body that plays a central role in managing and controlling journalism and media in China. Led by CPI chair Chou Cheng-hu (周成虎), the delegation included senior executives from major Taiwanese media organizations: United Daily News (聯合報) president Yu Mei-yueh (游美月) and group executive director Huang Su-chuan (黃素娟); Taiwan Radio (台灣廣播公司) chair Ma Chang-sheng (馬長生); Gala Television (八大電視公司) general manager Wang Ko-chieh (王克捷); Meihua Media (梅花媒體集團) president Wang Cho-chung (王綽中); Penghu Times (澎湖時報) chair Hsu Chao-chien (許朝鑒); Taiwan Shin Sheng Daily News (台灣新生報) president Liu Chang-yu (劉長裕); National Broadcasting Company (全國廣播公司) general manager Pan Hsing-tsang (潘星蒼); EToday general editor Lin Wen-chun (林妏純); Convergence Media Group (匯流傳媒集團) chair Wu Shih-chang (吳世昌); Shih Hsin University (世新大學) president Chen Ching-ho (陳清河); and Chinese Internet Channel Community Association (中華網路頻道事業協會) chair Ko Shu-jen (葛樹人). In Shenzhen, the delegation received a welcome banquet hosted by Shenzhen municipal standing committee member Wang Chiang (王強), with attendance from the Shenzhen Taiwan Affairs Office — the local branch of the Taiwan Affairs Office (國務院台灣事務辦公室), or TAO, the State Council body responsible for implementing CCP policy toward Taiwan, including through what the Taiwan government and independent scholars have described as organized influence operations targeting civil society, media, and youth — and Shenzhen Press Association chair and Shenzhen Press Group (深圳報業集團) chair Ting Shih-chao (丁時照). Corporate visits included Tencent (騰訊), where the delegation toured exhibition facilities showcasing WeChat’s 1.37 billion combined users and an AI-powered digital recreation of the Dunhuang cave library; edge AI firm Intellifusion (雲天勵飛); and electric vehicle manufacturer BYD (比亞迪). Media visits included the Shenzhen Broadcasting Group (深圳廣電集團) and Shenzhen Press Group (深圳報業集團). A lunch hosted by Shenzhen propaganda office head Chang Ling (張玲) included screenings of promotional videos describing Shenzhen’s development through the lens of Xi Jinping’s ideological slogans. In Beijing, the delegation attended a forum at the ACJA on the theme “The Impact of New Technology on New Media,” at which representatives of the People’s Daily (人民日報), Xinhua AI subsidiary Xinhua Zhiyun (新華智雲), and the CCP-run media conglomerate China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台), which is operated by the Central Propaganda Department, participated alongside Taiwanese counterparts. Also participating were iQIYI (愛奇藝), China Renmin University professor Song Jianwu (宋建武), and Meituan (美團). On September 23, the delegation was received by Taiwan Affairs Office deputy director Wu Xi (吳壐), who urged Taiwanese media to “introduce a true mainland to Taiwan’s people” and attributed limits on cross-strait ties to the Democratic Progressive Party — language consistent with the TAO’s documented mandate to shape Taiwanese public opinion toward Beijing’s preferred framing of cross-strait relations.
