Another Chinese Propaganda Outpost for Italy

Last month, a provincial government in eastern China opened a new office in Milan to promote its image to European audiences. It is the latest outpost in an expanding network of Chinese state-linked media operations across Europe. The office, feted as the “European outpost” (欧洲站) of the Anhui International Communication Center (安徽国际传播中心), or AICC, is the third such office to open in Italy, and the second to open in the city of Milan. Another ICC “liaison office” opened in Prato in 2025, the city with one of the highest populations of Chinese immigrants in Italy.

AICC was founded in 2021 by the Anhui New Media Group, a conglomerate directly under the leadership of the provincial committee of the Chinese Communist Party, to strengthen the province’s “external communication work,” according to a report issued by the group. It was among the first ICCs formed in China under a new push from the central leadership. 

Run by local media groups and operating under regional and local propaganda departments, ICCs have ballooned in number since 2018 and are one of Xi Jinping’s signature initiatives to improve China’s image abroad and expand its “discourse power” (話語權). 

In a report for Sweden’s Psychological Defence Agency earlier this year, the China Media Project identified 149 total ICCs. The addition of Anhui’s ICC in Italy makes a total of only seven outside of China, with almost half of those based in Italy alone. Two others are in France; one ICC “liaison station” (聯絡站) is in South Africa and another is in Egypt. Italy’s ICCs are not anchored in partnerships with the media, but rather operate through business networks.

Inaugurated on September 21 during a visit by a delegation from the Anhui ICC, the new “Anhui ICC Europe Station” (安徽國際傳播中心歐洲站) was described by the Anhui Media Group’s Anhui News as an “important step” in extending the center’s overseas reach and expanding its “circle of friends” (朋友圈), or willing partners, to amplify Chinese messaging in Europe. The delegation was hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce in Italy. The center aims to promote the Anhui Province and will also provide communication support for Anhui firms entering European markets.