China Media Observatory (CMO) was established in 2006 to increase the academic knowledge of Chinese politics, economics, and culture in the field of media and communication studies. For more than 10 years, CMO has been one of the few European centers dealing with this field of study. CMO has mainly focused on:

• Scientific Research
  
  • Promoting the scientific exchange of knowledge with Chinese Universities;
  • Developing specific research projects, mainly in cooperation with Chinese and European universities;
  • Presenting scientific outcomes in the most important European and international conferences in media and communication studies;
  • Publishing updated research on Chinese media system, Chinese media companies and the growing Chinese presence in Europe with interdisciplinary approach. 
• Academic Teaching
  
  • Creating and Teaching specific courses on Chinese media system, Chinese strategic management and East-to-West intercultural communicaction to students at USI and other European Universities;
  • Creating and Teaching specific courses on European media system, media history, and new trend in international media studies to Chinese students;
  • Organizing and teaching modules at different summer schools, study tours that are organized and co-organized by CMO.
• Service to USI and to the national and international community
  
  • Representing a exchange platform for European scholars on Chinese media and culture studies and for Chinese scholars on European or international media studies. Specifically, CMO has promoted and supported the exchange of PhDs and Post-Docs thanks to the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships and Sino-Swiss Science and Technology Cooperation (SSSTC) scholarships;
  • Promoting exchange-programme for Bachelor and Master students at USI to study in China and students from Chinese partner Universities to study in Switzerland. 
  • Enhancing scientific cooperation between Switzerland and China through specific frames and cooperation agreements at the national level, organizing conferences and events in Switzerland for scientific and culture exchange with China  
  • Publishing updated scientific papers, edited journal issues and reports on Chinese media to the international community.
  • Collecting documents, industry reports and publications from Chinese public institutions, governmental agencies, Chinese universities and research centers. (at the present stage, the CMO documentation center hosts more than 200 official documents in English and Chinese)

The list of research fields by CMO scholars and researchers:

• The political economy of communication in China – The evolution of strategic processes of the Chinese government related to the media market; regulation of the media system; Chinese market structure; import-export exchanges, and in more general terms, the relationships between media companies, government, and society.
• Digital media in China – The rise of internet and social media in China, the development and controversy of Chinese media technology companies.
• Chinese media history – The development of Chinese media in the 19^th, 20^th and early 21^st centuries; the historical role of China at the transnational level, with a specific focus on its position within international organizations regulating the media; the mutual shaping of Chinese and Western media in the long perspective. 
• Media analysis, strategic communication and intercultural communication– The media representation of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Europe, the cultural image of China in Western countries; analysis of intercultural and transnational narratives on Chinese media from a global perspective, China's soft power in Europe.

The list of Chinese universities that have an existing cooperation or ongoing projects with CMO:

• Communication University of China
• Peking University
• Tsinghua University
• Shenzhen University
• Chongqing University

科研工作

• 推动与中国高校的交流
• 与其他欧洲高校与中国高校联合申请科研项目
• 于国际会议与国际出版期刊发表关于中国传媒业发展以及中国在欧洲不断增长的影响力的相关科研文章。

教学工作

• 在瑞士卢加诺大学与欧洲其他高校开设关于中国传媒研究，中国战略管理以及跨文化传播等课程
• 为中国学生讲授欧洲传媒产业结构，媒介发展史以及国际传媒研究新趋势等课程
• 主办或与其它高校联合举办博士生暑期班，以及本科硕士生阶段的短期访学项目

立足瑞士意语区公立大学的国内外服务

• 促进中欧之间的学者交流，为研究中国传媒及文化的欧洲学者以及研究欧洲传媒或国际传播的中国学者提供平台，指导与服务。尤其为欧洲与中国高校的在读博士生与博士后研究人员提供在瑞士卢加诺深造的机会（推荐Swiss Excellence瑞士政府优秀学者奖学金以及中瑞科学技术合作项目奖学金等项目的申请与接待）；
• 为本校在读本科生和硕士研究生，以及合作院校的本科生和硕士研究生提供交换项目；
• 在瑞士加强各高校间关于中国问题研究的合作，以及推动中瑞之间的科研与学术交流（包括组织相关会议和线下活动）
• 发表关于中国媒介传播文化的最新科研成果
• 作为欧洲关于中国传媒研究的资料中心，收集来自中国政府，传媒产业，高校以及科研机构的文件，报告和其他出版物

中国传媒观察研究中心的学术重点和研究领域:

• 中国传媒政治经济学 – 中国传媒市场的变革发展; 传媒监管与政府关系，中国市场架构以及传媒产业进出口业务以及更广泛的关于中国政府，媒体和社会的关系；
• 中国数字媒体发展 – 互联网以及社交媒体在中国的应用，中国传媒科技公司的发展以及困境；
• 中国传媒历史 – 19世纪，20世纪到21世纪中国传媒的发展; 尤其关注在此发展进程中中国在国际组织中的历史地位，以及长期以来中国与西方传媒产业间的互相借鉴；
• 媒介内容分析，战略传播及跨文化交流 –欧洲媒体关于中国一带一路的呈现，西方国家的中国形象演变，从全球角度分析中国媒体的跨文化交流和跨国叙述，中国软实力在欧洲。

目前与中国传媒观察研究中心建立合作伙伴有:

• 中国传媒大学
• 北京大学
• 清华大学
• 深圳大学
• 重庆大学

人员结构:

• Gabriele Balbi教授 (主任)

• Giuseppe Richeri里盖利教授 (名誉主席)

• Zhan Zhang 张展博士 (研究员, 项目主管)

• Gianluigi Negro 章路博士 (客座研究员)