Strengthening the International Communication Capacity of Mainstream Media, Empowering the Telling of China’s Stories in the New Era with New Technologies

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Storytelling is the best way of international communication.” The Proposal of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024. Its Proposal refers to a key document outlining major reform tasks. states: “Strengthen the international communication capacity of mainstream media, comprehensively enhance international discourse power, tell China’s stories well, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China.” Technological innovation is a vital force for deepening the systemic transformation of mainstream media and strengthening the building of international communication capacity. At present, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, profoundly reshaping the global public opinion ecology and media landscape. To deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, we must actively follow the trend of new technological development, rely on technological innovation to drive the transformation and leapfrogging of mainstream media, empower mainstream media with new technologies to strengthen the building of international communication capacity, more proactively publicize China’s propositions, disseminate Chinese culture, and display China’s image, and tell China’s stories in the New Era [2]2 The New Era refers to the period since the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, marking a new historical juncture for China’s development under Xi Jinping’s leadership. in a truthful, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive manner.

习近平总书记指出：“讲故事，是国际传播的最佳方式。”党的二十届四中全会《建议》提出：“增强主流媒体国际传播能力，全面提升国际话语权，讲好中国故事，展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。”技术创新是深化主流媒体系统性变革、加强国际传播能力建设的重要力量。当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革加速演进，深刻重塑全球舆论生态和媒体格局。深入学习领会习近平总书记重要讲话和党的二十届四中全会精神，要积极顺应新技术发展潮流，依托技术革新驱动主流媒体实现转型跨越，以新技术赋能主流媒体加强国际传播能力建设，更加主动地宣介中国主张、传播中华文化、展示中国形象，真实、立体、全面讲好新时代中国故事。

Mainstream media are important platforms for studying, publicizing, and implementing the Party’s innovative theories [3]3 “The Party’s innovative theories” is a standard Chinese political phrase referring to the latest developments in the CPC’s guiding ideology, primarily Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era., and play an irreplaceable role in publicizing the Party’s line, principles, and policies. In today’s world, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and international competition is becoming more complex and intense; China is increasingly moving closer to the center of the world stage, exchanges and mutual learning with different civilizations are deepening, while also facing more frequent cultural collisions. Against this backdrop, comprehensively enhancing international discourse power, telling China’s stories well, more effectively publicizing the Party’s innovative theories to the international community, and accelerating the construction of China’s independent knowledge system, discourse system, and narrative system have become important tasks for mainstream media. Under the conditions of accelerating global digital transformation, new technologies represented by artificial intelligence are developing rapidly, providing technical support for strengthening the international communication capacity of mainstream media and helping to better present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China. To this end, mainstream media must actively embrace and utilize new technologies, expand application scenarios, enrich working methods, and continuously enhance the effectiveness of all-media communication.

主流媒体是学习宣传贯彻党的创新理论的重要平台，在宣传党的路线、方针、政策方面发挥着不可替代的作用。当今世界，百年变局加速演进，国际竞争更加复杂激烈；我国日益走近世界舞台中央，与不同文明之间的交流互鉴不断加深，同时也面对更加频繁的文化碰撞。在这一大背景下，全面提升国际话语权，讲好中国故事，更加有效地向国际社会宣传党的创新理论，推动加快构建中国自主知识体系、话语体系、叙事体系，成为主流媒体的重要任务。在全球数字化转型加速推进的时代条件下，以人工智能等为代表的新技术加快发展，为增强主流媒体国际传播能力提供了技术支撑，有助于更好展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。为此，主流媒体要积极拥抱运用新技术，拓展应用场景，丰富工作手段，不断提升全媒体传播实效。

Optimize content production and expand communication channels. In the digital age, fully leveraging the professional and authoritative advantages of mainstream media in content production, actively using new technologies to optimize content production, improve the communication landscape, and expand communication channels is an important path to enhancing the guiding capacity of mainstream public opinion. No matter how technology advances or media forms evolve, high-quality content always remains the “ballast stone.” In international communication, we must base ourselves on the practice of Chinese-path modernization and fine traditional Chinese culture, focus on promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, center on telling China’s principles and concepts well, use Chinese theory to explain Chinese practice, and use Chinese practice to elevate Chinese theory. At the same time, it should be noted that the widespread application of new technologies represented by artificial intelligence can not only significantly improve content production efficiency through intelligent editing, big data topic analysis, automated clip generation, etc., but also reach more audiences through social platforms, cross-screen linkage, and converged media communication, promoting the shift of high-quality content from one-way distribution to all-domain, interactive, and efficient three-dimensional communication. To this end, mainstream media should make good use of new technologies, build content generation models with internationally leading standards, develop a matrix of diverse communication products, and make content creation more efficient, diverse, and close to readers. Actively expand overseas communication channels, establish intelligent communication hubs in key regional centers, build a network of localized overseas communication partners, and construct “cloud + local” communication nodes. Support the international development of social media platforms, gather voices that understand and befriend China, and actively build platforms for people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Deepen innovation in communication concepts, create an open and inclusive narrative space, and promote the transformation of international communication from flat to three-dimensional and from one-way to interactive communication.

优化内容生产，拓展传播渠道。在数字时代，充分发挥主流媒体内容生产的专业性、权威性优势，积极利用新技术优化内容生产、完善传播格局、拓展传播渠道，是提高主流舆论引导能力的重要路径。不论技术如何进步、媒体形态如何演进，优质内容始终是“压舱石”。在国际传播中，要立足中国式现代化实践和中华优秀传统文化，着眼推动构建人类命运共同体，以讲好中国道理、中国理念为中心，以中国理论阐释中国实践，以中国实践升华中国理论。同时应看到，以人工智能等为代表的新技术广泛应用，既能够通过智能采编、大数据选题分析、自动化剪辑生成等，大幅提升内容生产效率；也能够通过社交平台、跨屏联动、融媒体传播覆盖更多受众，推动优质内容从单向发布转向全域、互动、高效的立体传播。为此，主流媒体要用好新技术，打造具有国际领先水平的内容生成模型，开发多元传播产品矩阵，让内容创作更高效、多元、贴近读者。积极拓展海外传播渠道，在重要区域中心建立智能传播枢纽，构建海外本土化传播伙伴网络，建设“云端+属地”传播节点。支持社交媒体平台国际化发展，汇聚知华友华声音，积极搭建人文交流平台。深化传播理念创新，打造开放包容的叙事空间，推动国际传播从平面化向立体化、从单向传播向互动传播转变。

Improve the targeting and precision of communication. With the rapid development of new technologies, profound changes in the media landscape, and increasingly segmented audience needs, the importance of precision communication is growing. Deeply grasping the laws of online communication, thoroughly analyzing audiences’ information reception habits, and using new technologies to strengthen customized production and segmented communication are conducive to continuously improving the targeting and precision of communication and enhancing the reach rate and influence of content. For example, by strengthening public opinion situation awareness through big data analysis, precisely grasping the cognitive habits and emotional tendencies of audiences in different regions, and sensing international focus points in real time, we can better achieve precise content push; using new technologies to help strengthen regional and country studies, understanding the interests and concerns of audiences in different countries and regions, and building intelligent communication platforms can help enhance user stickiness; using virtual reality and augmented reality technologies to create “cloud” spaces, and applying artificial intelligence technology to strengthen intelligent recommendations, can achieve multilingual automatic generation and precise distribution. To this end, we must strengthen the development and utilization of data resources, do a good job in collecting and annotating mainstream media content data, user data, and public data, and provide data support for the precise customization and personalized push of communication content. It is also possible to generate adapted text, images, audio, and video materials based on audience characteristics for different cultural backgrounds and communication scenarios, using diverse media products to attract more audiences and enhance communication affinity. For example, develop new products such as interactive games and digital collectibles for Generation Z audiences to meet their personalized needs.

提高传播针对性和精准度。随着新技术快速发展、媒体格局深刻变革、受众需求日益细分，精准传播的重要性日益提高。深刻把握网络传播规律，深入分析受众的信息接受习惯，利用新技术加强定制化生产、分众化传播，有利于不断提高传播针对性和精准度，提升内容的触达率、影响力。比如，通过大数据分析加强舆情态势感知，精准把握不同区域受众的认知习惯和情感倾向，实时感知国际关注焦点，可以更好实现内容精准推送；利用新技术助力加强区域国别研究，了解不同国家和地区受众的兴趣点、关注点等，构建智能传播平台，有助于增强用户黏性；利用虚拟现实、增强现实技术打造“云端”空间，运用人工智能技术加强智能推荐，可以实现多语种自动生成与精准分发。为此，要加强数据资源开发利用，做好主流媒体内容数据、用户数据、公共数据的采集标注，为传播内容的精准定制与个性化推送提供数据支持。还可针对不同文化背景和传播场景，依据受众特征生成适配的文字、图像、音频和视频素材，用形式多样的媒体产品吸引更多受众，增强传播亲和力。比如，针对Z世代受众开发互动游戏、数字藏品等新型产品，满足其个性化需求。

Guard the bottom line of security. While new technologies enhance the communication power and guiding power of mainstream media and promote the deepening of their systemic transformation, they also inevitably bring some challenges, such as information distortion, algorithmic bias, and threats to data security. To this end, we must establish and improve a management structure, workflow, and operating mechanism that adapts to the laws of all-media development and is conducive to the application of new technologies, coordinate the advancement of technology application, content innovation, network construction, evaluation reform, and concept upgrading, truly achieve integrated content production and integrated technical support, and effectively prevent technical risks while building strong communication power with strong technical power. Facing the cacophony of voices in international communication, mainstream media must clearly resist the abuse of technology, actively refute false information in the international public opinion arena that accompanies the application of new technologies, and resist phenomena such as cultural fragmentation, superficiality, and excessive entertainment. Through systemic transformation and reshaping, we can strengthen and expand global and all-domain communication. At the same time, we must guide media workers to promote fine work styles, conduct in-depth interviews and investigations, truly enter the daily work, life, and inner world of the people, step into the vast space of the international community, draw fresh material from practice, and resolutely uphold the truthfulness of news and the credibility of the media with truthful and vivid reporting, singing China’s good voice in the international community.

守牢安全底线。新技术在提高主流媒体传播力和引导力、推动深化主流媒体系统性变革的同时，也不可避免带来一些挑战。比如信息失真、算法偏见、数据安全受到威胁等。为此，要建立健全适应全媒体发展规律、有利于新技术运用的管理架构、工作流程和运行机制，统筹推进技术应用、内容创新、网络建设、评估改革和理念升级，真正实现内容一体化生产、技术一体化支撑，在以强大技术力铸造强大传播力的同时有效防范技术风险。面对国际传播中的众声喧哗，主流媒体要旗帜鲜明抵制技术滥用行为，主动批驳国际舆论场中与新技术应用伴生的虚假信息，抵制文化碎片化与浅表化、过度娱乐化等现象，通过系统性变革重塑，做大做强全球全域传播。同时，要引导广大媒体工作者弘扬优良作风，深入采访调查，真正走进人民群众的日常工作生活和内心世界，走入国际社会的广阔空间，从实践中汲取鲜活素材，以真实、鲜活的报道坚决维护新闻真实性和媒体公信力，在国际社会唱响中国好声音。

(The author is a Distinguished Research Fellow of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)

（作者为北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员）