The Fourth China Forum of Government Spokespersons was held in Beijing on May 17, co-hosted by the International Communication Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Renmin University of China.

Over a hundred spokespersons from central and state organs, local governments, and central state-owned enterprises, along with scholars, experts, and media representatives, gathered to discuss the theme “Improving the Spokesperson System to Enhance the Effectiveness of News Releases.”

The Forum noted that since the 20th CPC National Congress, China’s news release mechanism has seen more precisely defined functions and more prominent effectiveness. It has played a vital role in boosting confidence and improving expectations, addressing public concerns and uniting strength, guiding social sentiment and resolving social tensions, as well as telling China’s stories well and presenting its image. These efforts have effectively served the overarching work of the Party and the country.

The Forum emphasized that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has identified “improving the spokesperson system” as a key reform task. To serve the broader context of China’s modernization drive, it is imperative to make the spokesperson system better adapt to the new development landscape, evolving communication dynamics, and rising public expectations. This constitutes both a major reform mandate that must be fulfilled and a significant opportunity to advance high-quality development in news release practices.

The Forum proposed that news release efforts must enhance political consciousness, ensuring political requirements are implemented throughout the entire process and all aspects of releases. It called for innovative top-level design and strengthened binding mechanisms to organically integrate the spokesperson system into the modernization of China’s governance system. Spokespersons should adeptly adopt the public’s perspective and employ public-friendly language to make the Party’s policies accessible to ordinary households. They need to stay informed about social conditions and public sentiment, maintain professional expertise, and improve media literacy to exemplify the caliber of spokespersons in the new era. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on coordinated planning and synergistic efforts to build a comprehensive, multidimensional, and multi-tiered communication matrix.

Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the State Council Information Office Mo Gaoyi, along with Zhang Donggang, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Renmin University of China, attended the forum and delivered speeches. The keynote session was chaired by Zhou Yong, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China.