Xi applauds China-Arab states forum

Broadcasting, TV event helps promote new technology, business cooperation

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 4th China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum, which opened on Thursday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

In the letter, Xi said he had announced the establishment of a China-Arab future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development at the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in July last year. He added that the friendly cooperation between China and Arab states has entered a historic new stage.

He called on the two sides to join in promoting integrated media development, building intelligent broadcasting and television media outlets and developing intelligent broadcasting and television networks so as to make greater contributions to boosting people-to-people ties between China and Arab states and advance the China-Arab states strategic partnership.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at the opening ceremony that China is willing to enhance new technology and business cooperation in broadcasting and TV sectors with the Arab states, thus further advancing wider application of next-generation information technologies such as intelligent broadcasting and TV networks.

Sharif Badreddine, commercial director of Dubai-based MBC Group, said the forum provided a perfect opportunity to build bridges between China and the Arab world through exchanging content.

"We have already enjoyed several successful experiences, and we look forward to further exchange of content between China and the Arab world," he said.

"5G will change the way we consume content across all platforms, and China is one of the leading countries in 5G development. Audiences will adapt to new technologies, and 5G will bring forward a lot of new challenges such as redeveloping our content in audio and visual products to be accommodated with 5G," he added.

Badreddine said Arab audiences are especially interested in Chinese TV dramas depicting emotions and love, and big productions about China's ancient history, such as The Three Kingdoms.

The forum, with the theme "Deepening cooperation in collaborative communication and prospering content creation," drew over 300 officials, film and TV-related entrepreneurs and media from China and 14 Arab states for discussions on topics such as exchanges, content creation and building up capacity.

Xinhua contributed to this story.