According to a December 16, 2013, article in Xinhua, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech in Beijing at a “seminar on China and the world in 2013.” Wang Yi said that in the year 2014, China will fully extend its diplomatic efforts to all areas. China will build "positive" and "healthy" relationships with major powers including the United States, Russia, and Europe, with surrounding countries, and with developing countries including Africa and Latin America.

China will actively participate in the reform of the international economic governance system and continuously improve China’s rule-making authority and the right to speak. As the host country of the CICA Summit 2014 (the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia) and APEC 2014 (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), China will also vividly explain the "China’s Dream," its "peaceful rise," and its "justice ideology" to participants through forums and exhibits so as to increase China’s soft power. China will play its role by making its voice heard on Syria, Iran, and other regional hotspot issues and will strive to restart the six-party talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Source: Xinhua, December 16, 2013
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/16/c_118576141.htm

On December 10 to 13, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) held its Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of the PRC, delivered a speech at the conference. The conference first gave the Chinese Communist Party credit for “continuously improving the living standards of the people” and for an “overall harmonious and stable society.” Then the conference acknowledged problems in the areas of overcapacity, food safety, rise of the macroeconomic debt level, unemployment, the deterioration of the ecological environment, tainted food and drugs, and poor public safety.

The conference emphasized that the core of the economic work, starting in 2014, will be to make progress while maintaining stability, balance economic “reform” and social “stability” and strengthen the Party’s leadership over "the comprehensive deepening reform." “The conference urged the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to unite closely around the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee headed by Xi Jinping, the Party’s General Secretary.”

Source: Xinhua, December 13, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/13/c_125857613.htm

People’s Daily reported that the China International Documentary Film Festival was held in Guangzhou China from December 8 through 12. 2,071 documentary films from 72 countries and regions participated in the festival. Participants reached agreements on documentary film contracts having a total value of150 million yuan (US$24.7 million). This was the highest amount reached in the film festival’s history.

The focus of the film festival centered on how the domestic documentary film industry can collaborate with the international market in order to “let China step outside and let the world understand China.” Reports indicated that a formal channel and procedure has been set up by the General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television to standardize the process of producing and marketing documentary films. There were also discussions on how to make domestic documentary films adapt to the international market and make their contents fit so that overseas audiences can better understand them.

Reports also indicated that the General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television will not only increase its funding on documentary films; it has also requested that 34 television stations air a minimum of 30 minutes of domestically produced documentary films each day.

Source: People’s Daily, December 13, 2013
http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2013/1213/c87423-23830039.html

On December 13, the China Internet Information Office held a conference on preventing false news reports and improving the credibility of Internet media. The conference addressed the phenomenon that certain media tend to seek news that has an effect, while falsely reporting the news. Ren Xianliang, Vice minister of the State Internet Information Office spoke at the conference. Ren stressed the importance of each Internet site implementing effective measures to standardize Internet news broadcast procedures in order to prevent false news reporting, to improve the credibility of Internet news media, and to gain the public’s trust. Representatives from news media including People’s Daily, Xinhua, China Network Television, China Radio International and commercial websites including sina, sohu, 163, qq and Baidu attended the conference.

Source: Xinhua, December 13, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/13/c_118552854.htm

On December 16, Xinhua carried an article which was originally published in Outlook Weekly titled "Party Cadres Must Consciously Master Special Skills." In the article, it reiterated points from the recent talks that Xi Jinping gave on various occasions on the need for Party cadres at different levels to study Marx’s original works. The article stated that China’s current situation provides sufficient proof that the Marxist philosophy works well and is still a powerful way to provide guiding principles for the Party. The article stated that the latest major decisions that the Party has made suggest that the Party is good at utilizing the Marxist philosophy. It went on, “Work hard to master Marxist philosophy as a special skill; be steadfast in the ideals and beliefs; pursue a correct political direction; improve the ability of strategic thinking and decision making and the capacity for overall control." 

Source: Xinhua, December 15, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/15/c_118561246.htm