Beijing, July 10, 2026: The first International Media Youth Training Program opened in Beijing on Wednesday, with 25 media practitioners from Africa, Asia, and South America participating.
The program is organized by the Global Development Promotion Center of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and focuses on the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
The training is being held five years after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Organizers said the initiative has gained increasing international recognition over this period.
At the opening ceremony, Lei Pili, Deputy Director General of the Global Development Promotion Center, said the GDI places development at the center of international cooperation.
Lei said the initiative aligns with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to support cooperation among countries.
The GDI and its accompanying initiatives- the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping provide a systematic Chinese solution to addressing common global challenges.
Lei said the initiatives are mutually reinforcing and serve as a strategic framework. He added that the initiatives have received support from the international community.
According to Lei, more than 90 countries and international organizations have signed cooperation documents with China under the initiative, and 83 countries, regions, and organizations have joined the Global Development Promotion Center Network.
China has mobilized more than US$23 billion in support of development cooperation, Lei said.
Lei reported that more than 1,800 cooperation projects have been carried out in eight priority areas, including poverty reduction, food security, pandemic response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, the digital economy, and digital-era connectivity.
He said these efforts have resulted in practical outcomes and contributed to unity and progress in Global South countries.
Gao Wei, chairman of China Media Group, said the GDI had moved from concept to implementation through cooperation projects.
He said the initiative had gained broader international recognition through platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
Gao said China Media Group, through CGTN and the CCTV Video News Agency, has reported on China’s modernization and international development cooperation.
Last November, Gao explained, CGTN launched the Global South Media Partners network, which now brings together 560 media organizations from more than 120 countries.
Mr. Gao said CGTN and the CCTV Video News Agency aim to reflect the development priorities of audiences around the world, particularly those in the Global South.
The training program is designed within the framework of the GDI to provide a platform for exchanges and capacity building among young officials and media professionals. Organizers said it aims to consolidate global development consensus and amplify voices from the Global South.
The training includes sessions with Chinese scholars and media professionals on China’s development experience over the past five years. -Writes Othello B. Garblah.
