The 4th China Media Group (CMG) Forum opened on Friday in Qufu City, east China's Shandong Province, highlighting cultural exchange and technological empowerment.

The forum was jointly hosted by CMG and the Shandong Provincial People's Government under the theme "Exchange, Mutual Learning, Technology Empowerment: The Power of Civilization in Transformation and Development."

About 300 guests from 95 countries and regions – including political figures, leaders of international organizations, heads of mainstream media organizations, diplomats, experts, scholars and representatives from multinational corporations – participated both online and offline.

Attendees expressed hopes that through the CMG Forum, they could enhance exchanges and mutual learning, deepen innovative collaborations amid technological transformations, inject new impetus into building an open and inclusive international communication ecosystem, and gather the strength of civilizations for world peace and development.

The event launched the 2025 global tour of the cultural program "China Through Its Intangible Heritage" and unveiled several international co-production projects on cultural exchange, along with research reports on topics such as "Civilizational Exchanges and Media Empowerment: Pioneering Practices in the Integration of Culture and Tourism."

On the same day, a CMG news gathering event, "China Up Close, Shandong Tour," was initiated. Media workers from home and abroad will explore cities in Shandong, including Jining, Qingdao and Yantai, from a global perspective – presenting the historical roots and innovative developments of Qilu culture, a term referring to the ancient kingdoms of Qi and Lu, in what is now Shandong Province, before the founding of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), and telling Chinese stories that blend the ancient and the modern.

Meanwhile, the CMG Forum extended invitations to global guests for the 11th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, which will also be held in Qufu, the birthplace of the prominent Chinese philosopher Confucius.