Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group (CMG), met with Italian media Il Giornale’s owner Paolo Berlusconi and Chief Editor Alessandro Sallusti, in Milan on Wednesday, for further cooperation between different layers of the two media organizations.

Shen was positive about the cooperation outlook between CMG and Il Giornale. So far, CMG has co-founded a “China-Italy exclusive” program with Il Giornale, resulting in in-depth content cooperation. A bilingual magazine launched by CMG started its binding distribution with Il Giornale in Milan and Rome this year and received a positive response.

As Shen pointed out, although some Western media were reluctant to see China objectively, and even distorted facts to defame China, fairness still lied in people's heart.

On a global stage, China's circle of friends is expanding, as are opportunities for the international audience to get to know China more thoroughly and objectively. CMG is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with Western mainstream media like Il Giornale and increase the frequency of visits and interviews by Chinese journalists and their Western counterparts.

Paolo Berlusconi noted, for most of the Italians, even Europeans, China is still an unfamiliar country to some extent. The cooperation with CMG is the first time that Il Giornale explores to cooperate with Chinese media. 

Berlusconi also emphasized that the China-Italy relation was performing well and that China was increasingly strong in the world.

"Il Giornale is willing to play its part to let more people know about the true story of China, and remove relevant misunderstandings and prejudices," he said.

The two sides have reached an agreement to deepen and expand cooperation based on what they have achieved so far and try to explore more paths of cooperation in the field of culture, arts, and sports industry.

Founded in 1974 in Milan, Italy, Il Giornale is an important nationwide daily newspaper with broad influence.

(Top Photo: China Media Group President Shen Haixiong and others meet the top managers of Italian media Il Giornale in Milan, March 20, 2019. /CCTV Photo)