Asia-Pacific Media Forum opens in Shenzhen

One of the major events of APEC China Year, the Asia-Pacific Media Forum opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Saturday.

With the theme of "Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action", the forum gathered more than 400 representatives from over 40 countries and regions around the world, particularly the Asia-Pacific region.

In a keynote speech, Li Shulei, 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, noted that this year marks the third time China has taken the chair of the APEC meetings, and the development and cooperation of the Asia-Pacific region cannot be achieved without the active participation of media outlets across the region.

"Looking ahead, China's door to the outside world will only open wider and wider," he said.

"The Chinese path to modernization will offer the world more opportunities for cooperation and development, and there is great potential for exchange and cooperation among media in the Asia-Pacific."

Li underscored the need for fostering a favorable public opinion environment for the opening and development in the Asia-Pacific, building the region's consensus on talent-driven innovation and development, presenting the positive outcomes of Asia-Pacific cooperation and development, and enhancing the reach and influence of Asia-Pacific media.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, highlighted in his speech Guangdong's pioneering role in the country's reform and opening up, Shenzhen's achievement in advancing modernization and the Greater Bay Area's progress in connectivity building.

"We are striving to forge new competitive advantages and achieve new breakthroughs, and we are committed to advance at the forefront. This will create more opportunities for exchange and cooperation with the APEC and various sectors around the world," he said.

Guangdong will further deepen reform expand opening up and pool efforts for innovation in order to build a highland in policy institutions, a strategic pivot for connectivity and an engine for technology empowerment between China and the rest of Asia-Pacific region, he said.

The opening on Saturday included a launch ceremony of Asia-Pacific Media Partnership Organizing Committee co-founded by 16 media organizations.

Representatives of media exchanged signed cooperation documents at the opening.

The "Gather in Shenzhen, Create a Better Asia-Pacific" Media Cooperation Initiative and the Shenzhen Consensus of the Asia-Pacific Media Forum were launched.

At the opening, senior officials, media executives, scholars and entrepreneurs discussed the role of the media in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and highlighted the need for deepening cooperation, promoting innovation and fostering mutual understanding among different cultures.

Melissa Fleming, the United Nations under-secretary-general for global communications, said responsible media coverage is more than engaging content, as it is a vital public service that can rebuild trust and help humanity overcome obstacles to progress.

"Gathering voices from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss growth and prosperity; seeking solutions to the world's most pressing problems - the media plays a central role in those conversations," she said in a video address for the opening.

Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, minister of state of Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, urged media professionals to report on regional cooperation based on evidence and help the public better understand the opportunities ahead.

"The path to shared prosperity runs through cooperation, not coercion; through open trade, not walls; through dialogue, not division," she said.

Konstantinos Oikonomou, senior vice-president of CNN, said the diversity of the Asia-Pacific region "should not be seen as an obstacle", and "it can be a source of strength".

Europe and Asia may approach certain issues from different perspectives, but "this makes engagement more important, not less", he said.

"Through dialogue, exchange and cooperation, we can understand our differences more clearly and identify the values and challenges we share," he added.