APNS, Chinese daily sign media forum declaration

BEIJING: At the time of the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, China’s Guangming Daily and All Pakistan Newspapers Association (APNS) held China and Pakistan Media Forum in Beijing. The theme of the forum was “Belt and Road Initiative and the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for China and Pakistan.”

Mr. Zhang Zheng, Editor-in-Chief of Guangming Daily; Mr. Shen Weixing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Guangming Daily along with Mr. Han Gangming, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC and Zhang Ye, Director of State Council Information Office amongst others were some notable speakers from China. While, Kazi Asad Abid, Senior Vice President of APNS; Dr. Tanveer Tahir, Executive Director of APNS; Mr. Ghulam Akbar, Mr. Ashfaq Gondal, Mr. Masroor Ahmed and Mr. Khalid Taimur represented Pakistan.

Ms. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Ambassador of Pakistan to China delivered a keynote address encouraging the positive step of media cooperation between China and Pakistan.

The China and Pakistan Media Forum has been established to serve as a platform for the media from both the countries to cover and discuss topics of interest to the audiences from both countries. A declaration was signed for the mutual cooperation to make comprehensive, truthful, accurate, objective and fair news reporting that will play a constructive role in promoting mutual understanding and trust in the interaction between people of the two countries.

According to the declaration, the China and Pakistan Media Forum would deepen mutual understanding, expand consensus, enhance cooperation and achieve win-win progress between the mainstream media in the two countries. Strengthening the communication and cooperation between the media of both the countries is an essential way to bring the people of the two countries closer to each other. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor requires full understanding of the people from both countries. The media shares a social responsibility in this regard and need to portray the positive and true image of the development process through CPEC.

This could be achieved through the promotion of dialogue, personnel exchanges, sharing of information and technology as well as human resources in areas where the other country needs support. The Forum would ensure fruitful results by ensuring the media cooperation between China and Pakistan remains relevant and vibrant.

Other notable guests who addressed the occasion were Mr. Fu Zimei, Director of the Foreign Exchange and Cooperation Department of People’s Daily, Mr Yao Wen, Counselor of the Asian Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, Mr. Tian Fan, Deputy Director of the International Department of Xinhua News Agency; Ding Shi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Economic Daily and Mr. Gao Anming, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Daily.