Deeper media ties sought between China, SE Asia

Media from China and ASEAN countries are looking to deepen cooperation to secure the steady development of relations between the two sides as part of efforts to build a China-ASEAN community with a shared future, officials said at a forum on Wednesday.

Great potential exists for media from China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to deepen cooperation, expand coverage and innovate with collaborative models, Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Publishing Group, told the ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum in Beijing.

"Media cooperation forms an integral part of the China-ASEAN relationship and plays an important role in promoting the development of bilateral relations by enhancing mutual understanding and learning of civilizations."

The forum, on the theme "Thirty Years On: A New Chapter for ASEAN-China Win-win Cooperation", offered a platform for officials and media practitioners from China and Southeast Asia to share their views for future cooperation.

Media should enhance coordination with the policy initiatives set down in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and ASEAN's Comprehensive Recovery Framework, while promoting pragmatic cooperation and sustainable development to build a favorable environment for further cooperation, said Tang Heng, deputy secretary-general of Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

"The media of both sides have played an important role in disseminating information, dispelling doubts, enhancing understanding, deepening friendship and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations," he said.

Kung Phoak, deputy secretary-general of ASEAN, said in his online speech that this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, has also witnessed progress in bilateral strategic relations.

Critical year

"For China and ASEAN, 2021 is a very critical year. Our partnership has been further enhanced by a series of projects on both sides in the post-pandemic recovery process," he said.

Chen Dehai, secretary-general of ASEAN-China Centre, expressed the hope that media from both sides can better introduce the China-ASEAN win-win cooperation story in the context of new technology revolution.

"The establishment of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is an important milestone of region cooperation and offers great development potential," he added.

A new book with multilingual versions－Keywords to Understand China: Foreign Affairs in the New Era－was released at the forum." We expect the publication of this book will contribute to the friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN over the next three decades," said Yu Yunquan, president of Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.