On December 19, 2019, China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) held the Media Roundtable of the Third Conference of the CICA Non-Governmental Forum in Chongqing. The theme of the conference is “Strengthening Media Dialogue and Cooperation: Advocating an Asian Security Concept and Building an Asian Community of Shared Destiny”. “The Role of Media in Building the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative and an Asian Community of Shared Destiny” and “The Role of Media Cooperation in Promoting Sustainable Security in Asia” are sub topics of the roundtable. Foreign media representatives from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Iran, exchanged views with Chinese media representatives from People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, Global Times, China Today, Hubei Radio and Television, Sichuan Radio and Television, Chongqing Culture and Tourism International Communication Center, and Kuaishou Science and Technology Company, etc.
Media representatives agreed that media play an important role in upholding and promoting regional security, stability, and development. Under the background of the rise in unilateralism and protectionism, and the significantly increasing uncertainties, media of CICA members should strengthen exchanges and cooperation, deliver more positive messages, and serve as the bridge for enhancing trust, clarifying misunderstanding, and uniting people to create a favorable public opinion environment for the development of their own countries and the whole region, and contribute to the building of an open, inclusive and mutually beneficial Asian community of shared destiny and a fair and reasonable international order. All sides reached consensus on the following points:
First, the international public opinion is almost controlled by the Western media, and developing countries are“discredited” from time to time. Media of CICA members need to be united more closely and build an effective discourse system of equality and mutual trust that is different from the Western countries to uphold the fair and reasonable international information communication order and improve the position of Asian in information communication.
Second, the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the concept of an Asian community of shared destiny provide new impetus for media cooperation. CICA media shall take this opportunity to tell stories about people-to-people connectivity, and seek the common values of different areas, ethnic groups and religions, speak with facts and emotions, and integrate the concept and purpose of the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the Asian community of shared destiny into the stories of ordinary people, so that people around the world can truly see and hear them.
Third, the global media industry is undergoing unprecedented changes at present. Digital technologies represented by big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence have profoundly changed the face of news communication. CICA media need to build an intelligent digital media that keeps pace with the times, improve the creativity and innovation ability of new media products and the efficiency of production and communication, and promote the upgrading of media industrialization.
Fourth, CICA countries are faced with many traditional and non-traditional threats and challenges. CICA media shall explore more ways of cooperation, including cross-border joint interview, news resource sharing, personnel exchange and new media innovation to solve common difficulties and problems.
H.E. Zhang Xiyun, former Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine, commented on the remarks made by media representatives. He said that speakers have expounded on the role of media in cooperation and building the “Belt and Road” Initiative and an Asian community of shared destiny from different perspectives. The following wishes are expressed by media friends. First, it is expected to strengthen the communication and cooperation among media, improve the quality of media work, speed up information communication and increase the positive energy of information. Second, media cooperation is not only for its own development, but also for the building of an Asian community of shared destiny and promotion of people-to-people connectivity among the CICA member countries.
In the concluding remarks, CPDA President Wu Hailong stressed the following points. First, media play an important role in building the “Belt and Road” Initiative and an Asian community of shared destiny, and upholding sustainable security in Asia. CICA media shall abide by the basic norms of media ethics and professional ethics, and report in an objective, impartial, comprehensive and truthful manner. Second, media of developing countries including CICA member countries must not follow suit or be swayed or confused by some Western media. Third, media of CICA member countries shall make and amplify our voices in the international public opinion field, protect the common interests of Asian countries, uphold Asian traditional culture and values, stop and tackle the double standards of Western media and their negative and discredited reports on developing countries. Fourth, CPDA will continue to make efforts to promote media exchanges and cooperation between developing countries and developed countries to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation in the future.
President Wu Hailong attended the opening ceremony and plenary session of the Third Conference of the CICA Non-Governmental Forum and delivered a speech. He stated that since the founding of CICA, it has played an increasingly important and constructive role in promoting regional stability and prosperity with the active participation and coordination of all sides. CICA member countries need to strengthen the sense of responsibility and jointly address regional and global challenges in the future. Strategic communication and coordination, advance strategic synergy and cooperation under the “Belt and Road” Initiative framework shall be strengthened to build an open, inclusive and win-win community of shared future in Asia-Pacific. Mutual trust between countries is the core value and the foundation of CICA. Media shall be mobilized to play an active role in promoting friendly and cooperative relations among CICA member countries. Through the above efforts, mutual understanding, trust and friendship among people of all CICA member countries will be enhanced and a solid foundation for CICA’s everlasting cooperation will be established.
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The theme of the third Conference of the CICA Non-Governmental Forum is“A Vision for CICA: Building an Asian Community of Shared Destiny”. Under the framework of the conference, five special roundtables were held on regional security, comprehensive connectivity, cyber security, environmental protection and media cooperation. The conference was hosted by Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, organized by Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and supported by CPDA.
