Belt and Road Journalists Forum Held

The 2018 Belt and Road Journalists Forum was held in Beijing on June 20. The forum, with the theme “building a new pattern for Belt and Road medium cooperation and exchange”, was attended by nearly 100 journalist organization principals and media representatives of 47 countries and regions, including 24 chairmen and vice chairmen of regional and national journalist organizations. This is the first international conference of journalist organization principals with the highest ranking held in China.  

Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of CPC and minister of the State Council Information Office, said in his speech that the development of the Belt and Road Initiative has gathered the wisdom and strength of all aspects and parties. During the past years, the exchanges have becoming daily frequent and cooperation daily closer among the media agencies and journalist organizations in countries related to the Belt and Road, opening up a new window for cultural exchanges and written a new chapter of people-to-people bond. Under the new circumstances, people of the press circles in various countries should take more initiative, cooperate with each other sincerely and push forward the construction of Belt and Road for greater achievements. Journalist organizations are the home of journalists and the media. They have the obligatory responsibility and mission to serve exchanges between journalists and promote cooperation among the media. At the end, Jiang Jianguo expressed his hope that the media of all countries will work together to carry on the spirit of Silk Road, tell the stories of China well and jointly push ahead cooperation for the Silk Road.  

The forum adopted the Consensus on Belt and Road Journalist Organization Cooperation, stating that the Belt and Road Initiative has vested new connotation to the ancient Silk Road, provided a new platform and injected new motive force for the exchange and cooperation among the countries; it also stressed to strengthen the exchange and cooperation among journalist organizations of Belt and Road participating countries, promote the communication and mutual learning among press and media, editors and journalists of all countries, promote the friendly exchange among the people of all countries to share the new opportunities of development. It was agreed at the forum to promote the establishment and improvement of the cooperation mechanism of the Belt and Road journalist organizations, further deepen the pragmatic cooperation, and set up a Belt and Road journalists forum secretariat at the All-China Journalists Association, mulling to establish a Belt and Road journalist organization alliance.  

During the forum, All-China Journalists Association signed Belt and Road news cooperation and exchange agreements with journalist organizations from more than 20 countries and regions. In the sub-forum session in the afternoon, the attending guests conducted in-depth discussions on topics of “integrative development of media to build new channels of communication”, “new opportunities for exchange and cooperation of the press circle of Brics countries”, “new opportunities for exchange and cooperation of the press circle of China and Africa”, and “exchange and cooperation of local journalist organizations and media of China and Russia”, further enhancing mutual understanding and promoting joint cooperation.