State Counselor Erlan Karin meets China Media Group President Shen Haixiong
During his working trip to China, State Counselor Erlan Karin met with Shen Haixiong, President of China Media Group and Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Akorda press service.
The meeting was also attended by Shakhrat Nuryshev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to China, Raushan Kazhibayeva, Director of the TV and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Yerkezhan Kuntugan, Director of the Jibek Joly TV channel.
Erlan Karin briefed the Chinese side on the content and significance of the cultural and humanitarian reforms carried out under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as Kazakhstan’s efforts in digitalization and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence.
The parties praised the high level of organization of the prestigious international Silk Way Star competition, held in 2025 in Kazakhstan, and discussed preparations for this year's event in China. The first season’s broadcast in China alone garnered more than 1 billion views. This year, Kazakhstan will be represented at the competition by Rukhiya Baidukenova, already well known to Chinese audiences.
Filming of the second season is expected to begin in July 2026 in Yiwu, China, with 10 episodes scheduled to air from late July to late September. Notably, Silk Way Star is the first international vocal competition of its kind in Asia, and for the first time, a Kazakhstani media project has been broadcast on China Central Television.
Shen Haixiong emphasized that such initiatives reflect the fruitful cooperation between China Media Group and the TV and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Over the past two years, the two organizations have implemented several joint projects, including the Astana-Beijing telebridge, a teleconference within the framework of the SCO Summit, as well as joint special broadcasts and documentary films.
Karin also underscored that from October 1 to 3, the Kazakh capital will host the inaugural International Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF 2026). The festival’s central event will be a competition for short films created using AI technologies.
The sides discussed a wide range of cultural and humanitarian issues and agreed to continue the dialogue in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.