Published on: 2026-05-22
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Beijing, May 22 /Xin Hua/ — Today, cooperation between Russia and China is developing in all directions. The media industry here plays a unique, unifying role, forming a common semantic field, bringing peoples closer together and strengthening mutual understanding. This was stated in a written interview with Xin Hua by Alexander Zharov, General Director of “Gazprom-Media Holding.”
“Today, the cooperation between Russia and China is developing in all directions, and I am deeply convinced that the media industry here plays a unique, unifying role,” he said.
According to A. Zharov, the media industries of Russia and China must coordinate and professionally cover key international events, offering the world an alternative — fair and multipolar — point of view. “It is especially important to actively use modern digital formats and social networks to create positive, attractive content for young people around the world,” he noted.
On May 20, during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China, Gazprom-Media Holding and the Xinhua News Agency signed an agreement on personnel training. It was included in the list of documents signed and adopted following the results of negotiations between the heads of the two states.
A. Zharov especially noted the importance of promoting success stories of Global South countries, demonstrating their independent path of development. “Through joint media campaigns dedicated to multipolarity and equal dialogue of civilizations, we will make a real contribution to the formation of a fair world order,” he said. “In this matter, Gazprom-Media Holding sees the Xinhua agency as a reliable and fraternal partner.”
“We must work through the mechanisms of creating joint content about the Russian-Chinese project in economics, science, and culture. It is important to show viewers not only the political declarations of both countries, but also the living stories of people, enterprises, scientific teams that are genuinely improving life,” said A. Zharov.
Under the visa-free regime between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, interest among Russians in Chinese tourist destinations is growing. According to our interlocutor, his holding actively uses its own television formats to promote China as a tourist destination and strengthen cultural dialogue between the two countries — especially against the backdrop of growing interest amid the visa-free regime.
“We already have successful experience in popularizing foreign trends through the reality format. One of the most successful proprietary formats of holding is the project ‘Survive in…’. All seasons of the show were filmed outside Russia,” said A. Zharov. “Such projects allow the Russian audience to get acquainted with the culture, cuisine, history, infrastructure, and hotel sector of the countries where the filming takes place.”
He also reported that “Gazprom-Media Holding” is successfully transferring this experience to cooperation with China. To date, major television projects have already been implemented. In particular, three seasons of the show “Treasures of the Emperor” were filmed on the territory of the PRC. Filming of the fourth season is planned for November of the current year in the city of Chengdu / Sichuan Province, Southwest China/.
According to A. Zharov, Rolding has also developed a new large-scale format under the working title “The Path of the Tiger.” “The project is dedicated to the themes of sports, strength of spirit, and Eastern martial arts. For filming, the island of Hainan is considered as the main location. Rolding saw a high level of infrastructure and significant potential of the island as an international filming site,” our interlocutor stated.
“Thus, through bright television stories, we not only increase the recognition of Chinese regions among Russian viewers, but also create an emotional connection with the country’s culture, which is especially valuable in the era of a simplified visa regime and growing mutual interest,” he emphasized.
A. Zharov noted that artificial intelligence and digital generation technologies are fundamentally changing the media landscape. Short vertical videos and social networks today are becoming the main carriers of content, especially for the young audience. By 2025, Gazprom-Media Holding consolidated under the national video hosting brand RUTUBE the short video service Yappy /now RUTUBE Shorts/ and the online cinema PREMIER. The monthly RUTUBE audience by the end of 2025 exceeded 85 million users, and the library contains more than 430 million videos.”We see a powerful platform in RUTUBE, which in the future could become a key link for content exchange between Russia and China,” our interlocutor said.
The media industries of Russia and China could jointly create educational content aimed at the audiences of both countries, said A. Zharov. “These could be documentary mini-series in a vertical format, historical and popular science videos that tell young people in Russia and China about our culture, achievements, and shared values. Such content, adapted for social media algorithms and video hosting platforms, can become a bridge between our peoples,” he emphasized.
“Gazprom-Media Holding” was founded in 1998 and is one of the largest media corporations in Russia. The structure represents a balanced ecosystem covering all key segments of the media market, including television, radio, digital platforms, film production, and publishing activities. –0–
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