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All Lingua Sinica Dispatches

Chinese Consul General Meets with IRNA

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On June 3, 2025, Xu Wei (徐煒), China’s consul general in Bandar Abbas, met with a representative of the bureau of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in Hormozgan Province. In his meeting with IRNA, Iran’s official state news agency, Xu discussed opportunities for media cooperation, saying that China values media exchanges with Iran and is willing to deepen cooperation with IRNA and other outlets to foster “mutual understanding and friendship” (互了解与友谊), terms typically used by the Chinese leadership to signal engagement while adhering to China’s values and framing. Reflecting the typical way China emphasizes the duty to healthy bilateral relations — rather than journalistic values or news consumer-focused demand — in its media-related dealings, The IRNA representative expressed support for joint efforts to promote China-Iran ties. 

Chinese Ambassador Publishes Article in the Nordic Times

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On June 19, 2025, Cui Aimin (崔愛民), China’s ambassador to Sweden, published a signed article titled “Strengthening the Dialogue Among Civilizations, Creating a Better Future Together” in the Swedish media outlet The Nordic Times. In the article, Cui noted recent celebrations for the International Day for the Dialogue Among Civilizations, a UN initiative jointly proposed by China, with eventual support by more than 80 countries. The notion of civilizational exchange is a political concept dating back in its contemporary CCP sense (“Xivilization”) to the 20th National Congress in 2022, when Xi Jinping and the top leadership used it to trumpet the supposed success of the CCP-led development model and argue that China has created “a new form of human civilization” (人類文明新型態). Cui called on China and Sweden to uphold the spirit of civilizational exchange and to move forward together toward the vision of building a “community with a shared future for mankind,” as proposed by Xi Jinping.

China and Iran Host Film Cooperation Seminar

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On December 2, 2021, the Embassy of China in Iran and Iran’s Art Research Institute co-hosted a seminar in Tehran to mark the 50th anniversary of China–Iran diplomatic relations, focusing on film cooperation. Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua (常華) said that the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed the same year on film exchanges had laid a solid foundation for bilateral collaboration. Iranian participants included director Majid Majidi and representatives from Iran’s film sector. According to the same report, speakers pointed to the festival screenings in Shanghai and Beijing, as well as the presence of Chinese films at Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival, as signs of strengthening connections within the film industry.

Iran Art Research Institute

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The Art Research Institute (پژوهشگاه فرهنگ، هنر و ارتباطات), also known as the Research Institute of Culture, Art and Communication (RICAC), is a government-affiliated research body in Iran established in 1998 under the country’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (وزارت فرهنگ و ارشاد اسلامی) — the agency that controls access to media on the basis of Iranian religious ethics and political considerations. RICAC’s mandate is to conduct policy-oriented cultural research in support of the ministry’s programs, and it has since 2001 administered Iran’s International Award on Cultural Research, the country’s only festival dedicated exclusively to evaluating research on Iranian culture and art. The institute publishes peer-reviewed journals on culture, communication, and the arts, and conducts national surveys to inform cultural policymaking.

Aeon Media Group

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Aeon Media Group was founded in 2020 in Avesta, Sweden, with Markus Andersson serving as its CEO. The group owns several outlets under its umbrella, including Nya Dagbladet, The Nordic Times, and Aeon News. In its company profile, the group positions itself as a Nordic leader, claiming to be “pioneering media innovation across Sweden, Norway, Denmark & Finland.” The group’s self-proclaimed mission of supporting “quality journalism” and “independent media” contrasts with the well-documented track record of its flagship publication, Nya Dagbladet, which has been widely identified as a platform for right-wing extremism, conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disinformation.

Darya News

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Darya News (دریا نیوز) is an Iranian online news outlet founded in 2006 and based in Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. The outlet covers political, cultural, sports, and social news with a focus on Iran’s southern provinces. Alongside its website, Darya News maintains a social media presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram. As of March 2026, the outlet was led by owner and editor-in-chief Yaqoub Dabiri Nejad. 

The Nordic Times

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The Nordic Times, or TNT, was founded in 2022. According to its own description, it is “an English-language independent international newspaper.” TNT covers news stories from the Nordic countries as well as from around the world, aiming to strengthen Nordic culture and enrich other cultures through the spreading of Nordic perspectives and ideas. It is currently owned by Aeon Media Group. Expo, a Swedish anti-racist foundation that has long monitored right-wing organizations, has alleged that The Nordic Times is “a Swedish far-right news site in disguise,” similar to Swedish-language outlets on the right. 

Chinese Consulate General in Bandar Abbas

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The Chinese Consulate General in Bandar Abbas (中華人民共和國駐阿巴斯總領事館) is China’s first and only consulate in Iran, approved by the Iranian cabinet in December 2021 and officially opened in December 2022. Located in Hormozgan Province, in Iran’s south, bordering the Persian Gulf, its consular district covers eight Iranian provinces. The current consul general, Xu Wei (徐煒), took up his post in August 2023. The consulate has been actively engaged in media outreach, including visits to and interviews with southern Iranian outlets, within the framework of the China-Iran 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership signed in March 2021.

Cinema Organization of Iran

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The Cinema Organization of Iran or COI (سازمان سینمای ایران) is a state body operating under Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the agency that controls access to media on the basis of Iranian religious ethics and political considerations. The COI serves as the primary regulatory authority for the Iranian film industry, responsible for issuing production and screening permits for both domestic and international films. Examples of COI has exercising its authority in recent years include the banning of the 2022 family and feminist drama “Leila’s Brothers” after its director brought the film to Cannes without government approval, a decision that led to the film’s director and producer being sentenced to criminal penalties by an Islamic Revolutionary Court in August 2023.