The event brought together senior Chinese officials, diplomats, and media representatives, including Hong Lei, Assistant Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China; Wang Donghua and Wu Haitao, Vice Presidents of the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA); and Phouva Samounty, Lao Deputy Chief of Mission and Counsellor to China, along with journalists from countries across the Global South.
In his keynote address, Mr. Hong praised participants for their extensive reporting across China, noting that the programme provided valuable opportunities to deepen understanding of Chinese modernization and the country's development path.
During the three-month programme, journalists visited 19 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, producing nearly 4,000 news reports and multimedia stories that were published and broadcast by media outlets across the Global South.
Mr. Hong noted that participants also explored the history and governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC), including visits to the CPC Central Party School and key revolutionary historical sites, coinciding with the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC on July 1.
He commended international media organizations from Pakistan, Türkiye, Guinea-Bissau, Russia, Ecuador, and North Macedonia for producing objective and balanced coverage of China's development and social stability.
"A socialist China, led by the CPC, will always be a force for world peace, global development, and international order," Mr. Hong said, reaffirming China's commitment to multilateralism and high-quality development under the country's 15th Five-Year Plan.
Addressing the ceremony, Chen Xu, President of the China Public Diplomacy Association, described the programme as China's largest international media exchange initiative in terms of geographic coverage, participant numbers, and media diversity.
He said participants gained first-hand experience through field visits and exchanges, including attendance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, exploration of traditional Chinese cultural heritage such as Tai Chi and paper-cutting, academic forums, and study tours in Jiangsu Province.
Mr. Chen emphasized the growing role of journalists from the Global South in promoting more balanced international reporting and strengthening mutual understanding among nations.
"I firmly believe that the global vision and the Chinese perspective you have gained through this programme will inspire and support your future professional development," he said, encouraging participants to continue serving as ambassadors of friendship and cooperation.
Now in its 12th year, the CIPCC has become one of China's leading international media exchange programmes, providing journalists from more than 100 countries and regions with opportunities to better understand Chinese modernization, strengthen professional exchanges, and foster lasting people-to-people ties.
