2021-09-30-国际事务研究院-_一带一声_中国媒体在意大利（英）_25页_1mb

Summary of "One Belt One Voice: Chinese Media in Italy"

Authors: Francesca Ghiretti and Lorenzo Mariani from the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI).

Introduction: Since 2012, under President Xi Jinping, China has intensified efforts to control global narratives about itself through enhanced public diplomacy and media collaborations. This strategy, encapsulated by "tell China's story well," aims to promote favorable perceptions abroad while countering criticism, using state media extensively.

Chinese Media Internationalization: China's state media engaged in various tactics to expand globally, including content-sharing agreements, training programs for foreign journalists, co-productions, and acquisitions of foreign media outlets. These efforts are part of a broader push to influence international media narratives and align foreign coverage with Beijing's interests.

Italian Media Context: Italy has numerous media collaborations with Chinese entities, often driven by economic motivations like funding and market access. Despite these links, Italian public opinion regarding China remains largely skeptical, with little improvement in perceptions despite increased media presence. The Italian media environment is also characterized by a focus on local and EU issues, limiting coverage of China.

2019 MoU Analysis: During the Belt and Road Initiative MoU signing, only Rai and Ansa formalized media collaborations with Chinese counterparts. While these agreements increased Chinese content in Italian media, the impact on public opinion was limited. Pre-existing collaborations explained much of the activity, and content often lacked critical scrutiny or fact-checking. Chinese media content shared via agreements was predominantly promotional or uncritical.

Conclusion: Chinese media efforts in Italy have achieved limited success in reshaping public opinion due to factors such as media fragmentation, critical Italian journalism, and the broader negative perceptions of China on issues like human rights and COVID-19. While content-sharing agreements proliferate, they are ineffective in changing narratives. Recommendations include increasing transparency in media collaborations and enhancing critical capacity among audiences to detect propaganda.

Key Takeaways:

• China's strategy to control narratives abroad is central to soft power efforts.
• Economic incentives often drive Italian media collaborations with Chinese entities.
• Public opinion in Italy remains distrustful of China despite media ties.
• Content shared directly by Chinese media lacks editorial control, raising concerns about misinformation.
• Italian media resilience contributes to sustained critical coverage of China.