Meeting with Xinhua Delegation: Discussion on Contemporary Journalism at HSE
On October 22, 2025, HSE University hosted an open meeting with representatives of the Chinese news agency Xinhua, led by Sun Zhiping, Chief of Staff to the Director General. Participants discussed current challenges in journalism and the operational specifics of news agencies in today’s media landscape. Many students took the opportunity to ask questions and practise speaking Mandarin. The visit was organised by the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs in collaboration with the HSE Institute of Media and the TASS news agency.
The programme included a welcome session and an extended meeting with university representatives and students. Opening remarks were delivered by Marat Abulkhatin, TASS Deputy Director General, and Sun Zhiping, Head of the Chinese delegation and Chief of Staff to the Director General of Xinhua. Andrey Iserov, Deputy Dean of the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, moderated the events.
At the open meeting with students, Marat Abulkhatin—an international journalist and sinologist who has worked in China for many years—spoke about the cooperation between Xinhua and TASS in the context of Russian–Chinese relations. ‘Today, relations with China are a key focus in our country’s foreign policy. Russia and China have built a strategic partnership. We are deeply impressed by the dynamic and steady development of bilateral relations, to which both Xinhua and TASS contribute significantly,’ he said.
The TASS representative highlighted several joint projects between the two agencies, including a recent photo exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. To illustrate the special nature of cooperation between Russia and China throughout history, Marat Abulkhatin cited the example of Chinese citizens who took part in the World War II, such as Mao Anying, the eldest son of Mao Zedong.
Sun Zhiping, Chief of Staff to the Director General of the Xinhua News Agency, shared with the audience the history of the agency’s development and key performance figures. Xinhua was founded in 1931 and has since grown into a vast information network with 31 regional bureaus in China and 184 offices abroad. Today, it employs more than 10,600 people and publishes around 8,000 news items daily in 13 different languages. The agency serves over 8,700 media outlets worldwide, including more than 5,000 outside of China.
‘We use the most advanced telecommunication technologies in our work, including artificial intelligence and big data. We have developed our own AI model, which we use to generate texts, headlines, and illustrations,’ emphasised Sun Zhiping.
After his speech, Sun Zhiping introduced his colleagues who gave brief presentations about their work within the organisation.
Gao Fan, who is fluent in Russian, explained that she had previously worked at Xinhua’s Moscow bureau and outlined the principles behind selecting news related to Russian–Chinese relations. She noted that priority is always given to news concerning the heads of state—President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping. At the same time, audiences are also interested in stories about interactions between citizens of the two countries in border regions, as well as Russians travelling to China. Reports on learning martial arts at the Shaolin Monastery or using traditional Chinese medicine also attract keen attention.
In the second part of the meeting, members of the Chinese delegation answered questions from the audience. One question was about the impact of AI on journalism as a profession in the future. According to representatives of the Xinhua News Agency, journalists possess a unique set of competencies that AI cannot replicate, although it can serve as a useful tool in their work. Another question addressed Xinhua’s prospects for development in South America and Africa. Commenting on this topic, the Chinese partners noted the growing cooperation and increasing number of publications, especially in the context of President Xi Jinping’s instructions to strengthen South–South cooperation. Students were also interested in employment opportunities and staff requirements. Xinhua representatives replied that they are open to hiring foreign specialists and that collaboration in this area is possible.
When asked about the similarities and differences between Chinese and Russian journalism, Sun Zhiping emphasised that the fundamental principles of journalism in both countries are identical—above all, the pursuit of objectivity and fairness. In his view, the two nations share many common interests, and one of journalists’ key tasks is to promote them.
At the end of the meeting, Marat Abulkhatin invited HSE students proficient in Mandarin and other foreign languages to consider working for TASS. He explained that young professionals can advance quickly within the agency and become heads of foreign bureaus, ‘representing not only TASS, but also our country—our great Russia.’
The Russian side was represented by staff members of HSE University and TASS. The university delegation included Valeriia Gorbacheva, Head of the Multilateral Strategic Projects Office; Oleg Dmitriev, Deputy Director of the Institute of Media at the Faculty of Creative Industries; Grigory Pruttskov, Professor of the Institute of Media at the Faculty of Creative Industries; Anastasia Pyatachkova, Academic Supervisor of the Bachelor’s Programme in International Relations; Ilya Kozylov, Lecturer at the School of International Regional Studies.
The TASS News Agency delegation included Alena Potapkina, Head of International Media Relations at the Department of International Communications; Oleg Filatov, Senior expert at the Department of International Communications (Asian and Chinese Communications) and Research Intern at the HSE Research and Study Group ‘ASEAN+, BRICS+, NATO+: Prospects for Asian Integration in the New World Order,’ and Yaroslav Kurilo, Advisor at the Department of International Communications.
Among the Chinese speakers were representatives of Xinhua’s regional offices, including Zong Wei (Jilin Province), Yang Yuling (Shaanxi Province), and Yang Mingjie (Henan Province), as well as Gao Fan, Deputy Director of the Russian Editorial Office, China News for Overseas Service.
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