Argentina's Brian Gonzalez, 31, had never dreamed of becoming an internet celebrity in China when he decided to study Mandarin in his teens.

Known in China as "Gong Biyang," Gonzalez has accumulated nearly 2 million followers on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, where he posts videos sharing interesting facts about Latin American countries like Brazil and Argentina.

"What makes me proud is that the videos help Chinese youth who are not familiar with Argentina gain an interest in the country," Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez's sentiments were echoed by officials and media participants from China and Argentina at a forum co-hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and Argentina's Public Media of the Nation in Beijing on Wednesday.

More than 100 representatives from China and Argentina attended the China-Argentina High-Level Forum on Cultural Exchanges, aiming to promote media and cultural exchanges between both countries to further deepen mutual understanding and friendship. The forum was also one of a series of events in 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Argentina as well as the friendship between the two countries.

People from both countries should act as defenders of peaceful development, promote common values for humanity and inject more positive energy into the building of a shared community in the new era, said Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, at the event.

CMG is willing to work with all sectors of the Argentine community to fully implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, and help the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership enter the next 50 years, said CMG President Shen Haixiong at the forum.

Shen added CMG will work with its Argentine counterparts to contribute to the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future and a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era.

"The commemoration of the 50th anniversary gives us the opportunity to renew the public media's commitment and responsibility," Rosaura Audi, undersecretary of Public Media of the Nation, said at the event.

Referring to the role of media, Audi said it is to "make known to the citizens of China and Argentina this part of history characterized with sincere solidarity and cooperation, mutual support and growing friendship."

Besides launching China-Argentina Culture Week at the forum with its Argentine counterparts, CMG also signed a cooperative agreement with the University of Buenos Aires to enhance cooperation in areas such as content production and media technology.

Meanwhile, a feature program showcasing both countries' "people-centered" political, economic, technological, cultural and ecological achievements will be broadcast simultaneously by major Chinese and Argentine media outlets in a bid to consolidate support for China-Argentina friendship.