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CMG President Extends New Year Greetings To Overseas Audiences

Published

3 years ago

January 1, 2022

Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group (CMG), extended New Year greetings in an address to overseas audiences via CGTN, China Radio International and through the internet on January 1, 2022.

The following is the full text of the address:

Dear friends,

The New Year’s first ray of sunshine is illuminating the world. The new year is the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese lunar calendar. I would like to extend my best wishes from Beijing, wishing you a year full of prosperity and vitality!

2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Grown from some 50 people a century ago into a party with more than 90 million members today, the CPC has led the Chinese people in creating a great Chinese miracle. Ushering in the new era, the country with a population of 1.4 billion has completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, solving the historical problem of absolute poverty that had plagued the country for thousands of years.

To faithfully record the new era, China Media Group (CMG) produced an array of quality feature series last year, including “Making a New China,” “Up and Out of Poverty” and “People’s Xiaokang,” which recorded the course of the hard struggle of the CPC and the Chinese people, and presented the century-long “intrinsic genes” of the CPC to the international community. A month ago, on the occasion marking the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Chinese people’s overseas broadcasting services, President Xi sent a congratulatory letter to CMG, encouraging us to tell China’s story well, make China’s voice heard by the world and build a competitive and modern type of mainstream media outlet with remarkable prowess to inspire, communicate and influence. We will continue to spare no efforts towards achieving that goal!

An ancient Chinese sage once said, “Success only comes through hard work.” The world is undergoing profound changes unprecedented in a century, intertwined with the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, but we have never stopped our pursuit of peace, development and happiness. CMG’s programs, such as “China in the Stories,” “China in the Classics” and “Chinese Culture in Toponymy,” documented the country’s deep and solid history and people’s vitality in their everyday lives. Programs including “National Parks” and “The Olympism and Art” recorded the scenes of “Beautiful China” and “Healthy China” in the new era. The global live broadcast of “Tiangong Class” from China’s space station inspired youngsters to explore the mysteries of the universe. When a herd of 16 wild elephants from Yunnan Province wandered from south to north and back home, platforms including CGTN, Yangshipin and CCTV News Digital kept track of every step, delivering over 7,000 hours of livestreaming, which made the “wandering elephants” a hot topic across the world.

Sticking to the facts is the basis of journalism around the globe. In the past year, we have promoted fairness and justice through seeking truth. In the face of the false “global COVID-19 ranking,” we released three rounds of global surveys so as to clarify the truth and distinguish right from wrong. They were echoed and acknowledged by hundreds of millions of overseas online users. In reporting the situation in Afghanistan, CMG’s exclusive on-the-spot videos revealed the abuse of force by a certain country that disregarded human life, and these reports were taken as important sources of information for the global media. We will continue to work as a responsible and professional media company and strive to seek truth! I hope our Western counterparts value the reputation of the media along with us! Let the truth defeat political expediency, racial discrimination and ideological bias, and let’s work together to build an objective, fair, positive and healthy international public opinion environment.

“Nothing, not even mountains and oceans, can separate people with shared goals and vision.” CMG has made many friends in the past year. We exchanged over 600 letters with our international media colleagues and friends, and also met both online and offline over 20 times. We worked together to build a media partnership and cooperation mechanism with diversity, inclusiveness, equality and mutual trust. These candid and warm exchanges built bridges of trust, and those enthusiastic calls and letters encouraged us to do better. Thank you for your trust!

In an era where anything is possible, we are embracing the media innovation with the spirit of “elephants also learn to dance hip-hop.” During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, CMG broadcast the world’s first live coverage of Olympic events on a 4K Ultra HD channel. The channel attracted more than 400 million viewers within three months of its launch. In just over 30 days, the Olympic flame will once again be lit in Beijing, during Chinese New Year. With the technologies of “5G+4K/8K+AI,” CMG has set up a livestreaming carriage on the high-speed train from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. It’s the first tech solution in the world to record and broadcast with Ultra HD streaming on high-speed trains. We would very much like to share it with our global counterparts, and jointly present a wonderful and extraordinary Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to the world.

“Roaring tigers in green mountains bring prosperity from afar; The breeze swaying green willows sends spring to households.” In the coming year, the CPC will hold its 20th National Congress to draw a blueprint for China’s future. With the spirit of pursuing excellence, precision and perfection, we will strive to produce more quality programs to present the vitality of China from multiple perspectives in the new era to the international community, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

I give my best wishes to you and the world!

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Featured

Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

1 week ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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