Experiencing China first-hand: NZ media in China, June 2024

Photo above: Bruce and Sam in Beijing with representatives from CPIFA. Photo by CPIFA

Last month the New Zealand China Council launched a new programme, to assist New Zealand journalists to experience China for themselves.   

New Zealand has no shortage of media content with a focus on China these days, befitting the country’s significance as an increasingly influential regional and global actor.  But with no New Zealand media organisations represented there, experiencing and discussing China through Kiwi eyes is something few of our journalists get to experience as part of their reporting.  

So we created an opportunity alongside one of our valued institutional partners in China, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), for two New Zealand journalists to visit Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou over six very full days.  Bruce Munro at the Otago Daily Times and Sam Sachdeva at Newsroom were selected to participate in the pilot programme, and we thank them for the pioneering spirit in which they embarked on the mission.  

During their time in China Bruce and Sam met Chinese officials, New Zealand diplomats, kiwi businesspeople, Chinese tech companies and innovators, educationalists and researchers, all of whom shared their first-hand perspectives on aspects of contemporary China.  And of course there was time soaking up the atmosphere in busy shopping malls, crowded restaurants, high-speed trains and jazz clubs – we salute our participants’ resilience in the face of intellectual and sensory overload!  

The result of the visit is a series of perceptive and entertaining articles published in the ODT and Newsrooom respectively. Most importantly, they describe China through Kiwi eyes, and the opportunities, progress, doubts and risks inherent in engaging with such a major emerging power.  

We’re gathering all the articles in a feature page on our website – https://nzchinacouncil.org.nz/category/2024-china-media-visit/.  You’re welcome to take a look.    

And if you are a New Zealand journalist interested in participating in our China media programme in future, please contact us on info@nzchinacouncil.org.nz – we would love to hear from you.