Entity Type: International Communication Center (ICC)

Established as China’s first provincial-level ICC, the Chongqing International Communication Center claims to serve as the “main force” for the city’s overseas promotion. Operated by Chongqing Daily News Group (重庆日报报业集团) under the guidance of the city’s Propaganda Department, the center manages iChongqing—a multi-platform media network targeting international audiences through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms censored within China itself. The center claims to have “expanded Chongqing’s overseas influence” through its foreign-language content, with officials reporting that Chongqing’s international exposure ranks “fifth nationally” and “first in western China.” In February 2024, it was upgraded to the Western International Communication Center (西部國際傳播中心), with 23 cultural and media organizations housed in its industrial park—the first such ICC industrial park in China, according to official statements.

Launched in April 2024 under the guidance of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department (江西省委宣傳部) and operated by Jiangxi Daily News (江西日報社), the Jiangxi International Communication Center aims to serve as the province’s “flagship media for external propaganda.” Officials claim it will leverage Jiangxi’s cultural resources—including rice cultivation, ceramics, traditional medicine, and opera—to create “international communication brand projects” like “Meet Jiangxi” (相約江西), which launched simultaneously with the center. Provincial propaganda chief Lu Xiaoqing (盧小青) instructed the center to “actively promote Xi Jinping Thought” and “tell the story of the Chinese Communist Party’s governance.” The center appointed “overseas promotion ambassadors” from seven countries while signing cooperation agreements with China’s Foreign Languages Bureau (中國外文局), described as “the national team for external propaganda.”

Established on May 11, 2024, the Nanning International Communication Center was unveiled simultaneously with the city’s convergent media center. The international communication center aims to strengthen cooperation with central media organizations, including Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, and China News Service. It focuses on building a multi-layered international communication platform centered on overseas communication matrix development, foreign cultural exchange promotion, and premium content creation. The center is specifically designed to target ASEAN countries and serve as “a new vehicle for external communication and cultural exchange with regional international influence.” This reflects Nanning’s strategic position as China’s closest provincial capital to ASEAN and the permanent host city of the China-ASEAN Expo.

The Wenzhou International Communication Center, launched in May 2024, is led by the propaganda office of the Wenzhou Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The center works with the Wenzhou News Media Center (温州市新闻传媒中心), a local government-run media office founded in 2023 — and identified at the time as a “new milestone in the development of [the city’s propaganda work.” It is part of a growing national network in China of ICCs meant to strengthen China’s global communication by harnessing the strength of local media groups and propaganda offices.

Established on September 6, 2024, the Guangxi International Communication Center (廣西國際傳播中心) operates under the direct leadership of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Party Committee Propaganda Department. Led by Guangxi Daily and supported by Guangxi Radio and Television, the center formed a strategic partnership with China Daily (中国日报) at its launch ceremony. China Daily‘s Deputy Editor-in-Chief Liu Weiling (刘伟玲) attended, stating they had “established a three-dimensional, diversified cooperation model” with Guangxi. The center aims to build “a more effective international communication system” following CCP directives. The center claims to showcase “lovely China through beautiful Guangxi” via websites, mobile apps, and overseas social media accounts under the “Hello Guangxi” brand. The initiative is part of Xi Jinping’s broader effort since 2018, accelerating from 2023, to enhance state external propaganda by leveraging provincial media resources while advancing centrally-approved narratives about China.

The Sichuan International Communication Center, established in March 2022 by the Sichuan Daily Press Group (四川日報報業集團), describes itself as a provincial hub for international media outreach. Officials say the center “covers more than 20 million overseas users” and operates what they call their “flagship video platform” (旗艦視頻平台) “Inspiration China” (灵感中国). The center says it focuses on distributing content about Sichuan culture, tourism, cuisine, gaming, and traditional medicine through what it terms “multi-modal, lightweight video products” (多模態、輕量化視頻). Officials claim the center has developed partnerships with “over 500 international content creators” and “more than 50 international organizations.”