Source: CGTN    Published: 2023-05-31

China Media Group (CMG) and Renmin University of China (RUC) jointly established an institute to enhance the country's international communication capacity on Tuesday.

The institute, named the New Era International Communication Research Institute, is committed to strengthening the cooperation among diverse international communication subjects.

By integrating CMG's practical experience and RUC's theoretical research ability, the institute will accelerate the construction of Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system and explore a new path to improve the efficiency of China's international communication.

Shen Haixiong, CMG president, and Zhang Donggang, secretary of the RUC Party committee, jointly unveiled the institute at a ceremony on Tuesday.

Wednesday is set to mark the second anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech on improving the country's capacity for engaging in international communication to present a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China.

Noting President Xi has attached great importance to CMG's international communication work, Xing Bo, vice president of CMG, said that CMG has in the past five years spread Xi's thoughts and told China stories well, which not only enhanced its ability to set the tone at critical moments but also won more friends in the international public opinion field.

Xing said the newly established institute is a strong alliance between CMG and RUC to promote the integration of international communication theory and innovative practice and enhance the efficiency of international communication.

Xing added CMG and RUC will jointly build systems including global public opinion ecology and a regional and country communication strategy research system, global public opinion and public opinion tracking and research system, international communication talent training system and international exchange and dialogue system to continue to tell China's story well, spread China's voice well, and strive to reshape the global public opinion ecology.

Lin Shangli, president of RUC, also stressed the importance of cooperation between different organizations in international communication.

Hailing the establishment of the institute a new milestone for both CMG and RUC to respond to the major strategy of China's international communication development and deepen cooperation, Lin said the institute will bring together the world's top talents and resources in an innovative mode, build a comprehensive platform integrating theoretical research, talent training and practical exploration, and become an international communication innovation highland serving the country and radiating the world.

Lin added the institute focuses on the construction of six functions: high-end international communication think tank, future international communication talent training platform, international journalist training platform, new media innovation research and development platform, multi-dimensional international dialogue platform and Belt and Road international communication platform.

Xu Qingsen, director of the Department of Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, spoke highly of the win-win cooperation. Xu believes that the institute will promote the rapid translation of scientific research achievements in international communication, and make new contributions and new examples to strengthen capacity building and improve the effectiveness of international communication.

At the ceremony, a strategic cooperation agreement between CMG and RUC on jointly building the "New Era International Communication Research Institute" was signed.  

Meanwhile, the institute's first research publication, a blue paper titled "China in the Eyes of the World: Ideas, Achievements and the Future," was officially released during the ceremony. 

Foreign guests, including former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and British scholar Martin Jacques, all congratulated the establishment of the institute and wished it a success.

"Communication is essential for our society, it's essential to learn, it's essential to convey messages, that's why the creation of the new institute is an excellent idea," said Nastase.

Jacques commended what CMG has done in international communication, explaining China to the world and explaining the ideas of China. He said that is an "extremely important task," adding that it maybe "even more important" in the context of "worsening relations between the United States and China."