Tell DRC Stories and Build up DRC Brand through News Media and Public Diplomacy: Public Relations & Sales Department Staff Tour MFA Press Room
2016-04-25
Foreign news organizations have always been
the important clients of the Housing Service Corporation for Diplomatic
Missions (the HSC). Since the China-Africa Press Exchange Center, one of the African
journalist exchange program in China administered by the Information Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), was launched in 2014, the HSC has
successfully offered housing services for office and residential use by 3
groups of African journalists and received acclaims of the MFA leadership.
Through arrangements with the Public Diplomacy Office of the Information
Department, MFA, some 30 junior executives from the Public Relations &
Sales Department and other departments of the HSC, headed by Mr. Zhang Yue, General
Manager, and Miss Lin Li, Deputy General Manager of the HSC, participated in
the MFA press conference and had interactive communication with the MFA spokesperson
on 9 March, 2016.
The press conference began at about 3 pm, presided
over by Mr. Hong Lei, Deputy Director General of the Information Department and
MFA spokesman. International journalists representing a number of leading news agencies,
such as the Reuters, AFP, West Japan News, AP, EFE, ABC, and JoongAng Ilbo of
ROC, posed questions on international issues, such as Minister Wang Yi’s visit
to Russia and the situation in the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula,
which were answered by the spokesperson in a calm, clever and tactful manner.
The spokesman's highly developed presentation skills left deep impression on
the HSC spectators.
Upon conclusion of the press conference,
the HSC visitors were led into the meeting room of the Foreign Journalist News
Center, watched a video documentary marking the 30th anniversary of
the establishment of the spokesperson system, and learnt about the MFA’s publicity
work. After that, Mr. Hong personally took part in the interaction with the
visitors, briefing them on the routines of a typical day of the spokesperson in
a natural and vibrant tone. He disclosed that there were about 600 foreign
journalists working in China, of whom 500 were working in Beijing. His
department has been hosting a press conference on working days each week since 2011
for the purpose of having a bigger say, elucidating China’s policies to the
world by use of the new media like the Internet, weibo and weixin, boosting the
impact of the MFA press conference, and successfully performing the publicity
work in the Information Age. To do a good job, an MFA spokesman needs to make
careful preparations concerning key components of relevant issues, be familiar
with the national policies and the Party and state leaders’ statements, pay
close attention to latest developments on key international issues, stand ready
to learn and think, understand precisely what the media need, and gain public support
and acceptance.
Mr. Hong’s briefing was followed by a
simulated Q-A session between the HSC visitors and the spokesman. When asked
about his forecast of the US presidential election, how to promote China in
daily interaction with foreign visitors, and how he perceived the public belief
that the Information Department was an institution of good looking persons, Mr.
Hong gave adept and humorous answers and won rounds of applauses and cheers from
the visitors. Lastly, Mr. Zhang Yue made a presentation on the HSC’s objective
to “serve China’s diplomatic cause and foreign diplomatic missions” including providing
high quality and exceptional housing services to the foreign news organizations
in Beijing. He expressed the sincere hope to work together with the Information
Department, MFA, to perform the publicity work, for which Mr. Hong gave his
appreciation and recognition.
The visit enhanced the close relationship
between the HSC and the Information Department of MFA, deepened our understanding
of the MFA publicity work, and consolidated our commitment to offering better
and higher quality services and telling the DRC stories to the foreign news
agencies and journalists, so as to build up the DRC brand and make greater
contribution to China’s public diplomacy cause.
