China boosts soft power by training foreign journalists

On a recent Saturday morning in Beijing, Win Tin, 66, a veteran journalist from Myanmar, was enthralled by a lecture at the Communication University of China on setting up a digital studio, from floor layouts to overhead light temperatures to software.

Two months ago, Tin, with 25 years of experience in journalism, started an online news outlet, Northern Light Media, but realized he knew little about online media.

So he jumped at the offer to join a 10-day media workshop provided by the university's China-ASEAN Center of Training that targets media executives and journalists from Southeast Asian countries.