Chongqing ICC Opens Bridging News Bureau in Rome

On September 1, 2024, the Western China International Communication Organization (西部國際傳播中心), or WCICO, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Rome 9 Sino-Italian Economic and Cultural Exchange Center. The agreement created the first overseas liaison office of Bridging News (陸海財經), one of WCICO’s core brands for what China’s leadership calls “external propaganda” (外宣). The center, also known as the Roma 9 Association, is headed by Hu Lanbo (胡蘭波). Hu publishes Cina in Italia, the Italian edition of China Newsweek (中國新聞週刊), which is published by the state-run China News Service (中國新聞社). Citing Intelligence Online, Decode39 reported in 2023 that Chinese Ambassador to Italy Jia Guide (賈桂德) had long relied on Roma 9 to organize events he could not host at the embassy. The signing took place at the first overseas stop of WCICO’s “China: An Opportunity — Chongqing Brands” global promotion campaign. The event was organized under the guidance of the Chongqing municipal government’s information office. Zhang Qiong (張瓊), deputy head of the propaganda office of the Chongqing CCP Committee, spoke alongside Rome city councilor Carla Formariello. WCICO said the Rome office would support Chongqing-Italy cooperation in financial reporting, industry expansion, cultural exchange, and tourism promotion. The campaign later reached Lima, São Paulo, Singapore, Cairo, and Kuala Lumpur.