Senior Officials Discuss China—ASEAN Media Cooperation

Wang Hai

Meeting held in Suzhou highlights importance of media cooperation between China and ASEAN member states

The China-ASEAN Member States Information Ministerial Meeting， sponsored by the State Council Information Office of the Peoples Republic of China and co-organized by the information offices of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City as well as China Report Press， took place in Suzhou， Jiangsu， on Nov. 22， 2017.

Information ministers or their representatives from China and ASEAN member states including Cambodia， Indonesia， Laos， Myanmar， the Philippines and Thailand attended the meeting， which was held shortly after the conclusion of the 19th CPC National Congress. The senior officials held a wide range of discussions on boosting mutual media exchanges and cooperation and forging a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future. On the sidelines of the meeting， the delegates also took some time to visit local communities， new energy enterprises and museums for some firsthand information on Chinas economic， social and cultural development.

New Opportunities

In late October， the 19th CPC National Congress was held in Beijing. The Congress drew up a two-stage development plan for the period from 2020 to the middle of this century to build China into a moderately prosperous society and a great modern socialist country that is prosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advanced， harmonious and beautiful.

The year 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. During the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting on Nov. 10-11， President Xi Jinping attended the informal dialogue for APEC and ASEAN leaders. Xi stressed that “China firmly develops friendly cooperation with ASEAN for a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future.”

All of the above will bring new opportunities and inject new impetus into China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation.

From the perspective of Jiang Jianguo， vice minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office， this meeting of information ministers “is of great significance to the development of China-ASEAN relations”.

In his keynote speech， Jiang said： “The 19th CPC National Congress in late October was a major event for Chinese politics. It also attracted widespread attention from around the world. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era， China will enter a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chinas exploration in the new era will provide developing countries with more experience and inspiration for their modernization drive. At present， some ASEAN member states are also exploring new forces for economic development， changing their development modes and are enabling the people to share the fruits of development. Were ready to strengthen exchanges and jointly practice and explore new pathways of development that are better in quality， efficiency， equity and sustainability.”

The rapid development of China-ASEAN relations cannot do without the strong backing of the information departments of both sides. Jiang said he believes that the news and media authorities of both sides should strengthen communication and experience-sharing in terms of policies， rules， regulations and development strategies. Media organizations should become good storytellers about economic and trade development and people-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN member states. They should strengthen cooperation in content exchange， information sharing， film co-production， joint news coverage， exchange of visits， training and other areas.

“China is dedicated to the building of a ‘Belt and Road media cooperation alliance，” Jiang added. “We sincerely welcome the active participation of ASEAN media organizations in this joint endeavor for a media cooperation platform.”

New Platforms

Senior information officials from ASEAN member states expressed their views on strengthening media exchanges and cooperation.

Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said that it is very important for China and ASEAN to carry out professional media cooperation. It will be conducive to the peace and stability of all countries， as well as the sustainable development of the region， he said， adding that to achieve that goal， it will be essential to reach a better understanding of the historical， cultural， social and economic environment of one another. Therefore， he suggested that the the Suzhou Initiative be implemented without any delay.

Farida Dwi Cahyarini， the secretary-general of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia， said that Indonesia had attached great importance to this ministerial meeting， since this meeting will facilitate the pragmatic media cooperation between China and ASEAN member states and contribute to the goal of a closer community of shared future. She suggested that China and ASEAN should seize the opportunity to promote more in-depth cooperation between media organizations.

Bosengkham Vongdara， Minister of Information， Culture and Tourism of Laos， said that within the ASEAN framework， there are many cooperation projects， both bilateral and multilateral. These projects have laid a solid foundation for the profound cooperation in technology， information sharing， media and personnel training. This cooperative partnership is undoubtedly mutually beneficial with win-win results. The Lao government is ready to be more deeply involved in the cooperation， he said.

Director-General of the Myanmar Radio and Television Myint Htway said that media has played a critical role in friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN. It will continue to play an important part in upcoming in-depth cooperation. Myanmar Radio and Television has been actively looking for cooperation partners. “We warmly welcome a more solid China-ASEAN strategic partnership， which will serve the purpose of peace and prosperity for all parties involved，” he said， adding that he looked forward to his organization doing its part in realizing greater cooperation.

Jose Martin Andanar， secretary of the presidential communications operations office of the Philippines， said that as the ASEAN co-chair of this ministerial meeting， he would like to express his special thanks to the Chinese government for its sustained support for ASEAN. Over the years， all ASEAN member states have benefited from Chinas generous support in cooperation opportunities， experience sharing and people-to-people exchanges.

Charoon Chaisorn， deputy director-general of the government public relations department of Thailand， said that he would like to seize the opportunity to call for more pragmatic cooperation between ASEAN member states and China， so that people can benefit the most from the advancement of digital technology. Both countries should cooperate in the capacity building of the media and professional journalists， he said， and meanwhile， the China-ASEAN strategic partnership should be further consolidated. Media cooperation should be pushed ahead in line with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative， he added.

From ‘Consensus to ‘Initiative

Before the conclusion of the meeting， the information officials worked on a summary document titled “China-ASEAN Member States Information Ministerial Meeting Consensus （Draft）”， including the detailed wording of the document.

During the deliberations， Guo Weimin， vice minister of the State Council Information Office， made a creative proposal that presented the concept of “consensus” in a more pragmatic and concrete manner. This proposal was welcomed by the delegates.

“I participated in the discussion yesterday，” Guo said. “A suggestion was made that this ‘consensus be released as an official document to all ASEAN member states， including those that are not represented. My suggestion is that instead of ‘consensus， more official in nature， we can use the word ‘initiative， and make it the ‘Suzhou Initiative. ”

This line of thinking from “consensus” to “initiative” is a true portrayal of Chinas approach in pushing forward open， mutually beneficial and inclusive cooperation with ASEAN member states.

In his concluding remarks， Jiang Jianguo said： “As a result of this meeting， all the delegates have agreed on an initiative to strengthen media exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN member states， which is going to play a vital role in promoting the sustainable， healthy and in-depth development of China-ASEAN relations. The media of China and ASEAN member states should make joint efforts to advocate peace， win-win cooperation and inclusive development， promote China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity and create a better future for the region.”