On April 22, 2015, the second “ China-Japan Local Media Exchange Forum” was held in the Kitakyushu City, Japan. The forum was co-organized by the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Fukuoka, the China Public Diplomacy Association and the Nishinippon Shimbun of Japan. Mr. Lv Fengding, the Vice President of the CPDA led a 17-member Chinese local media delegation to attend the forum.
In his keynote speech, Mr. Lv streesed the importance and necessity of closer contacts between Chinese and Japanese medias. According to Mr. Lv, local exchanges and people-to-people communication play a significant role in building a closer relationship between China and Japan. Medias shoulder combined responsibilities of strengthening cooperation and understanding between Chinese and Japanese peoples. Mr. Kenji Kitahashi, the Mayor of the Kitakyushu City, genuinely voiced his hope for a more active role of local medias of both countries in sectors such as environmental protection and tourism, so as to promote local exchanges and cooperation to strengthen relations between two countries.
Mr. Li Tianran, the Consulate General of China in Fukuoka noted that China could get knowledge on experiences and advanced technologies in environmental pollution control and green city development by communicating with Kitakyushu. Kyushu is nearest to China among all the regions in Japan. It has been a getway to China ever since ancient times. At present, local medias are the main channel for grassroots in this region to get information of the outside world. I hope all distinguished guests can go deeper, make more friends as well as take good care of exchanges and cooperation between sister cities of the two countries, so as to provide fresh materials for people from both countries to know each other objectively and rationally as well as accumulate positive energy for strengthening exchanges and promoting relations between China and Japan in a continuous manner.
In the forum, participants launched an animated discussion on environmental protection cooperation, tourism, as well as exchanges between local media from both China and Japan. Both sides reached an agreement that media should actively tie together and bear a constructive role to help people in China and Japan learn about each other rationally and create a positive public opinion atmosphere for improving bilateral relations.
The delegation also visited Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima and exchanged ideas with local medias from Kyushu and Okinawa. They made field trips to an Eco-industry park and Yaskawa Electric.