Our Stories for Common Goals and Ideals

By He Jing

“Nothing， not even mountains and seas， can separate people with common goals and ideals.”

That old Chinese saying was quoted by Dr. AKP Mochtan， deputy secretary-general of ASEAN， at the beginning of his keynote speech at the First ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum.

Nearly 100 Chinese and foreign guests including representatives from more than 20 mainstream media outlets from China and ASEAN countries， experts and scholars from relevant think tanks and press officials from ASEAN embassies in China traveled great distances over mountains and seas to gather on the shores of Taihu Lake in East China to discuss media cooperation， exactly as the old saying implies.

Ideas Matter

“Media cooperation between ASEAN and China has centered on capacity building， which is very important，” said Mocktan. “But is it time we ask ourselves whether there are other ways and areas of cooperation to explore？ How can we innovate？” He demonstrated a clear understanding of the current situation of ASEAN-China media cooperation and presented his own ideas.

Over the last dozen years， media cooperation has been an important area of China-ASEAN cooperation， and the media has served as the vanguard of bilateral cooperation and exchange. So far， the ASEAN-China Center （ACC） alone has invited reporters from nearly 60 media outlets from 10 ASEAN countries to visit China. It has organized other activities for ASEAN diplomats and journalists in China including visits to Chinese news organizations and media networking meetings.

Now that China-ASEAN relations have entered a new era of quality development， media exchange and cooperation between the two sides should also be innovated and developed. Consequently， a number of ideas were presented by guests speaking at the forum， focused on the following：

First， the media should spread the positive energy of friendly cooperation and promote the development of China-ASEAN relations. Yang Xiuping， secretary-general of ACC， Zhang Ye， director-general of the International Liaison Bureau of the State Council Information Office， Yang Mu， counselor of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， and Lu Cairong， vice president of China International Publishing Group （CIPG）， expressed similar expectations at the forum. They suggested that the media of both sides continue to report on the economic and social development of both sides in an objective and fair manner， spread words of friendship and cooperation in real-time， create a good public opinion environment for cooperation， create benefits for people on both sides and jointly build a China-ASEAN community of a shared future.

Second， the media of both sides should seek innovative development and cooperation. “Media is an important field of innovation and creation，” opined Zhang Ye. “The information revolution has fueled a technological leap forward. Economic development has brought about capital investment. The media of China and ASEAN are facing a rare opportunity for innovation.” Furthermore， this year marks the China-ASEAN Year of Innovation， another prime opportunity for the media to seize. Just as Mochtan said in his speech， media organizations can explore more ways of cooperation， produce more verified and attractive contents and innovate more with technology.

Third， we should create a long-term mechanism for communication and cooperation. Yang Xiuping suggested that based on this forum， we should explore ways to transform the platform into a mechanism and establish a more stable and smooth channel for better communication and cooperation. Han Yong Hong， associate editor of Singapores Zaobao， expressed hope that this forum will present more opportunities for exchange and cooperation and continue to serve as a platform for friendship.

Transformation and Innovation

Atman Ahdiat is manager of the International Affairs Desk of Indonesias Antara News Agency. At Session II of the forum， he said： “Mainstream Indonesian media organizations are also struggling to cope with social media intrusion. One way to deal with this challenge is media integration—integrating traditional mass communication with new media while fostering speed and flexibility to meet the greater need for mobility.” Most attendees seemed to agree with his sentiments.

All media delegates from both China and ASEAN countries attending the forum showed great concern for the opportunities and challenges brought by new media. Myint Zaw Aung， chief editor of 7 Day Daily of Myanmar， and Nurul Hafizah Binti Hj Awang Besar， a reporter for Borneo Bulletin Daily of Brunei， shared experiences of their own organizations in dealing with this transformation.

While meeting the challenges of their own transformation with active innovation， China and ASEAN countries are also actively seeking innovation in media cooperation.

Patithin Phetmeuangphuan， a journalist with Vientiane Times of Lao PDR， highlighted that Laos and China conduct exchange and cooperation in radio and television broadcasting， news reporting and personnel exchange and training.

Xiong Yan is an editorial board member and director of the International Communication Center of Yunnan Daily Press Group. “Over the years， we have been actively building a bridge for two-way communication，” she declared. “We have organized our journalists for exchange visits with their ASEAN counterparts and fact-finding journeys. We have also organized training sessions for ASEAN journalists to learn new media technology. Such activities have promoted mutual understanding between the media and the people of the two sides.”

Zhao Jun， editor-in-chief of China Report ASEAN， elaborated on her institutions experience organizing four China-ASEAN media journeys along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， collaborative communication and the "Brightness & Books" charity program benefiting Cambodian and Lao school children. She also proposed： “While energetically advocating and spreading the concept of innovation and opening-up， the media should intensify active cooperation to contribute to the common prosperity and development of all countries and the well-being of mankind.”

Bringing Hearts Closer

Thanchanck Jongyotying is a senior international news editor at Spring News TV of Thailand. She noted that her station broadcasts a special one-hour program about China every day. “We report on China every day because our viewers are watching China every day，” she said. “What happens in China every day is having a major impact in its neighborhood and the world.” She suggested that media practitioners travel more to see the world and inform their readers and viewers on the true meaning of cooperation.

An Xiaoyu is the director of the No. 2 Asia Broadcasting Center of China Radio International. He spoke about a public media program his organization has been undertaking. “We organized a mobile movie team in Cambodia to screen movies for villagers in the most remote villages，” he revealed. “We have been doing this for four years. This year， the team traveled to a dozen remote Cambodian villages to screen Chinese and Cambodian movies for free. At the end of last year， we expanded this program to Lao villages. This year， we have further reached out to Thailand and Myanmar. For villagers who have never seen a movie before， this activity provides the first opportunity to see movies and the outside world. I believe that this kind of work can effectively promote mutual understanding between the people of China and ASEAN countries.”

People-to-people exchange is the third of the three pillars of China-ASEAN relations following political and security cooperation and economic cooperation， and an integral ingredient in further developing the China-ASEAN strategic partnership and China-ASEAN community of a shared future.

In this context， the media exchange and cooperation between China and ASEAN serves as an integral part of the people-to-people exchange between the two sides and the media shoulders a major responsibility in promoting greater mutual understanding and deepening friendship and cooperation.

Thanks to the visits of media practitioners from ASEAN countries， true stories have been shared far and wide. Hearts have been getting closer with each exchange. According to Chen Shi， deputy editor-in-chief of CIPG and president of China Report Press， the changes brought about by such exchange are obvious. “When we first organized the China-ASEAN media journey， we felt that everyone was stiff and too formal，” Chen recalled. “We didn't know them， and they didn't know us. In recent years， things have changed with continuous exchange and visits. As their understanding of China grows， ASEAN journalists are paying more attention to how to cooperate to find more common ground and common interests.”

About the First ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum

Sponsored by ASEAN-China Center （ACC）， China International Publishing Group （CIPG） and the Information Office of Jiangsu Provincial Peoples Government， the First ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum was co-organized by China Report Press， the Information Office of Wuxi Municipal Peoples Government and HOdo Group， with support rendered by Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial Peoples Government and Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone Company of Cambodia. The aim of the forum is to implement the consensus reached at China-ASEAN Member States Information Ministerial Meeting in 2017 and further deepen media exchange and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.