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Archives: Dispatches

All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Chinese Ambassador to Italy Meets Deputy Director of Italy’s TG5

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On July 25, 2017, Chinese Ambassador Li Ruiyu (李瑞宇) met with Enrico Rondoni, Deputy Director of TG5, an Italian television news channel owned by Mediaset Italia S.P.A. During the meeting, Li presented exchanges and achievements between Italy and China in politics, commerce, culture, and technology. Li expressed hope that TG5 would enhance coverage of China’s economic development to give Italians “a more complete and objective idea of China.” Rondoni has served as Deputy Director of TG5 since 2006, after being Central Editor and Foreign Editor for nine years. The event was attended by Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ivan Scalfarotto, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Country System Promotion Vincenzo De Luca, and Italian Ambassador to China Ettore Francesco Sequi, alongside representatives from Italian government, business and media.

Media Seminar in Beijing with Delegation of Laos and Myanmar Journalists

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In September 2017, thirteen journalists from Laos and Myanmar participated in a two-week seminar in Beijing focused on China’s development, media roles, and social responsibility. The closing ceremony was held on September 28, 2017, attended by Zhao Lijun (赵立军), Director of the China International Publishing Group (中国外文局) Training Center. The seminar aimed “to enhance the traditional friendship and cooperation between China and the two ASEAN member countries,” according to the Lao News Agency (KPL). Officials briefed participants on China’s development policies and achievements since its 1978 economic reforms. Zhao stated that the Belt and Road Initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping, “upholds shared consultation, shared construction and shared benefits” and is “inclusive rather than exclusive.” The program included visits to Xinhua News Agency (新華社) and Guangdong province to observe media operations and regional development.

Nouvelles d’Europe Collaboration with Xinmin Evening News

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Nouvelles d’Europe (歐洲時報), established in 1983, partnered with Shanghai’s Xinmin Evening News (新民晚報) to launch Europe Weekly (歐洲聯合週報) in Paris in February 2005. The weekly newspaper published on Saturdays and said it focused on “helping Chinese integrate into mainstream European society” and providing information about “development opportunities in China.” The paper described itself as combining “knowledge, entertainment, interactivity, and practicality” with sections on European law, global news, and China-focused content. Nouvelles d’Europe reported that editions were published in France, Austria, Germany, and Hungary, with 36 pages covering topics from “European focus” (歐陸聚焦) to “returning to China guide” (回國指南). The weekly ceased publication in 2008.

China Media Group Signs Four Serbian Media Partnerships

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China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed four cooperation agreements with Serbian media and cultural institutions on May 8, 2024, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Serbia. CMG Director and Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department Shen Haixiong (慎海雄) signed agreements with Serbia’s Presidential Media Relations Department, Politika newspaper, Radio Television of Serbia, and the Ministry of Culture. The agreements were witnessed by Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Officials said the agreements would promote “people-to-people exchanges” (人文交流) and contribute to building a “China-Serbia community of shared future in the new era” (新時代中塞命運共同體) through “news exchange, joint programming, and technical cooperation” (新聞信息交換、聯合制播節目、技術交流). The agreements were described as part of Xi’s state visit outcomes, with CMG cited as signing the most cooperation documents among participating institutions. Politika is Serbia’s oldest and most influential daily newspaper, founded in 1904.

CMG Inks Media and Tourism Deals in Hungary

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On May 10, 2024, China Media Group (中央廣播電視總台) signed agreements with two Hungarian institutions during President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) state visit to Hungary. The agreements were signed by Shen Haixiong (慎海雄), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party and director of China Media Group, with the Hungarian Media Services Support and Asset Management Fund and the Hungarian Tourism Agency. Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (維克多·奧班) “witnessed” the signing ceremony, and the agreements were “included in” the list of outcome documents from Xi’s state visit from May 8-10. The memorandums aim to strengthen cultural exchanges through news information exchange, joint program production, and media technology exchange. The Hungarian Media Fund oversees state-owned media outlets, including Hungarian National Television and Radio, while the Tourism Agency, led by CEO Könnyid László (柯尼德·拉斯洛), manages Hungary’s tourism promotion efforts.

Malaysia and China Sign MOU on Content Production and Sharing

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China’s National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) and Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding on September 26, 2024. The agreement aimed to “deepen practical cooperation” in areas including content creation, program exchange, and technological development while addressing challenges and opportunities brought by new technologies to traditional broadcasting. Meeting in Beijing during the 50th anniversary year of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations, China’s broadcasting chief Cao Shumin (曹淑敏) met with Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. The memorandum comes as both sides highlighted recent successes in “joint production and industry cooperation” (联合制作, 产业合作), with Malaysia noting that broadcasting has played a “positive role in enhancing mutual understanding” between the two nations.

Nordic Chinese TIMES

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Nordic Chinese Times was launched in 2009 by He Ru (何儒), a native of Guangxi who arrived in Sweden in 2006 and is now president of the Copenhagen-based Nordic-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (北欧中国商会). He Ru told China’s official state broadcaster CCTV in 2019 that after arriving in Sweden, he realized that “it was hard to find news about China in the local media, and if there was news, it was largely negative.” He launched the Nordic Chinese Times the next year, urging his colleagues, according to the CCTV report, to “stick to the principle of impartiality.” While there is no evidence that the outlet is operated or influenced directly by PRC entities, it has established official content cooperation with the CCP’s People’s Daily, and content from official state media, including Xinhua News Agency, is prevalent.

Apsara Media Services

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Apsara Media Services (AMS) is a Cambodian multimedia television organization that operates Apsara TV11 and describes itself as a “newly formed” multimedia channel aimed at establishing itself in the online media industry. The company is headquartered in Phnom Penh and operates from the Khemrany Building on Fine Arts Street. AMS states its mission is to “provide high-quality content” to audiences across Cambodia and internationally, with a vision to “become the leading innovative broadcasting platform” that produces quality content. The organization produces content in the form of videos, articles, and programs for educational and entertainment purposes, operating specialized divisions including AMS Central for news, AMS Sports, and AMS Khmer Civilization, focusing on cultural programming.

Bangladesh Television

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Bangladesh Television or BTV ( বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন (বিটিভি)) was established on December 25, 1964, originally as Pakistan Television in East Pakistan before being renamed after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. The state-owned network operates two main stations – BTV Dhaka and BTV Chittagong, with the Chittagong station established in 1996 – along with fourteen relay stations nationwide and BTV News. The network relies on revenue from license fees imposed on all households, though this has proven insufficient to cover operational costs, requiring significant government financial support. Since private channels emerged in the late 1990s, BTV has experienced declining viewership. Reporters Without Borders has characterized BTV as functioning as a “government propaganda outlet” with no editorial independence.