China's media is increasingly broadcast around the world, yet the Asian country's state-controlled media is still regarded as lacking credibility compared to other international news organizations. [...] China expanded its media, Zhang adds, to improve its negative image propagated by the Western media.

Chinese influence in Australia is growing across a broad front, from political donations to Confucius Institute teachings in primary schools and university institutes funded from Beijing. These continuing efforts to spread soft power have found a new friend, with an announcement that content from Chinese newspapers and wires will run in Australian media and on the Sky TV cable television channel.

Chinese and American officials kicked off a film and media partnership in the shadow of the Albuquerque Studios complex Monday with representatives of both the state of New Mexico and Panda iMedia, a Beijing-based digital media firm, promising job growth, expanded opportunity and cross-cultural understanding.

Members of Korea's foreign and local media enjoyed a Korean cultural experience hosted by the Senior Public Diplomacy Group (SPDG) at Unni Sarangbang in central Seoul, Friday. Featuring an evening of traditional Korean foods and beverages and instrumental and vocal music performances, guests were also treated to a speech on international cultural events by host Choi Ha-kyung.

Thanks to the internet, tailor-made travel has never been easier: if you’ve dreamt of staying in a Super Mario-themed apartment, you can book one on Airbnb; if it’s a ride with a local you’re after, you can grab one on Uber. And when it comes to spending time with locals in their own homes [...] BonAppetour, the company serves as a platform that connects tourists with locals, who come together around the “home dining” concept.

For China, the film industry’s lure is evident. China hopes to tap into Hollywood’s expertise as it builds up its own nascent entertainment industry. It also understands popular culture’s potential as a PR platform for the Chinese Communist Party on the global stage.

Film and television works have an important role in transcending emotions and connecting different cultures, officials said at a symposium today. High-level translation is crucial to draw people from different countries closer and support the cultural development, Ding Wei, Vice Minister of Culture of China, said at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Sino-Foreign Audiovisual Translation and Dubbing (SFATD) Cooperation Workshop & Symposium.

In recent weeks, business deals between Australian and Chinese media groups have raised concerns over potential Chinese government influence in the Australian press. But according to a report in the Australian Financial Review, the media is not the only institution that has recently received Chinese government money as part of a soft power push by Beijing.