China, Asean strengthen partnership

ASEAN member countries and China are taking their partnership to the next level by jointly promoting people-to-people cultural exchanges, enhancing mutual understanding and enriching regional sustainable development.

At the Asean-China Media Cooperation Forum at Dezhou City in northwestern Shandong Province on June 21, the Asean-China Centre (ACC) and China International Communications Group (CICG) hosted diplomats, public officials and media representatives from 10 Asean countries and China.

“Asean countries and China belong to the Global South and see each other as opportunities for development, with immense potential and brighter prospects for future cooperation,” said Shi Zhongjun, secretary general of ACC.

“With our joint effort, the Asean-China comprehensive strategic partnership will undoubtedly become more profound and resilient, facilitating our modernization processes and enriching our common prosperity,” he added. 

He said the ACC will work with the Asean and Chinese media to enhance the status of the region in the arena of global public opinion.

“We must shoulder the mission of presenting to the international community the regional story of win-win cooperation between Asean and China,” he said. “In the new era of growth for Asean-China relations, the media on both sides should focus on more topics of common interest to Asean and China, such as green development, digital economy, governance, poverty alleviation and reduction, and help explore more points of convergence and growth in cooperation between both sides.”

The forum was also attended by Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group; Wang Yihua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People’s Congress; and Tian Weidong, secretary of CPC Dezhou Municipal Committee and chairman of the People’s Congress of Dezhou City Standing Committee.

Representing the Asean nations were Phosy Keomanivong, vice minister of the LapsMinistry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos; Has Sam Ath, undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Information of Cambodia; and Jaime FlorCruz, ambassador of the Philippines to China.

Ekkaphab Phanthavong, deputy secretary general of Asean, delivered his message through a video recording.

The forum’s keynote speakers were Wei Jianhua, deputy director general of global services of Xinhua News Agency and Taufiq Rahman, editor-in-chief of Jakarta Post.

“The media plays an important role in our understanding of each other and in bridging the gap between our different cultures,” said FlorCruz, a former journalist, columnist and news publisher.

“The Philippines welcomes projects and activities, with the aim of deepening interaction and cultivating greater understanding among the peoples of Asean and China,” he said.

The ambassador also cited the “happy coincidence” that the forum was held in Dezhou.

“Over 600 years ago, there was a Sultan from Sulu who embarked on a diplomatic journey to China. In 1417, this Sultan led one of the biggest foreign delegations to China and held a meeting with the Ming Emperor Yongle in Beijing,” he said.

“On his way home, the Sultan died in Dezhou, and there, he was honored with a burial befitting a foreign sovereign. Today stands a mound in a sprawling memorial museum in Dezhou — the tomb of Sultan Paduka Batara. We thank the people of Shandong for honoring our Sultan of Sulu,” he said.

FlorCruz said there have been exchanges between media personnel of Asean and China over the years.

“The year 2019 was designated as the Asean-China Year of Media Exchanges. A number of activities were implemented by relevant ministries and institutions in Asean and China to commemorate this,” he said.

FlorCruz added: “The media plays an important role in our understanding of each other and in bridging the gap between our different cultures. If harnessed well, the media can enhance our understanding of each other and bridge the gap between our cultures.”

In the media cooperation forum held at Qihe Peacock King Hot Spring Hotel, the ACC and CICG proposed five initiatives to the media from the 10 Asean member states and China.

The first is to build heart-to-heart bridges together.

“We shall tap into the values of Asean-China history and culture that are still relevant to the present circumstances, disseminate Asian values with peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration as the core through various perspectives, promote exchanges among civilizations of different countries, and consolidate the traditional amity between Asean and China that has been inherited by and passed onto us,” the proposal said.

The second is to promote the growth of the Asean-China comprehensive strategic partnership together.

“We shall tell a good story about Asean and China seeking common development and cooperation, deliver the true, objective and all-round message of Asean-China cooperation, and play an active role in deepening Asean-China mutual trust and bringing the comprehensive strategic cooperation to a higher level, with greater width and depth,” it said.

The third is to cultivate younger generations to advance the Asean-China friendship together.

“We shall build a platform for young media professionals from both sides, encourage and support their practical exchanges, injecting fresh vitality into Asean-China cooperation in the new era,” it said.

The fourth is to bolster sci-tech empowerment in Asean-China media together.

“We shall utilize innovative tools such as AI, big data and cloud computing to innovate means and methods and generate more media-based products of people-to-people exchanges,” it said.

The fifth is to build an Asean-China media cooperation network together.

“To promote closer media exchanges and mutual understanding and facilitate information sharing and practical cooperation between both sides, we advocate the early establishment of an Asean-China media cooperation network,” it said.

The ACC is an intergovernmental organization co-founded by the 10 Asean countries and China. It is committed to promoting friendly exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism and media.

The CICG is a comprehensive publishing organization that publishes over 5,000 book titles in more than 40 languages annually and 34 periodicals in 14 languages.

This year has been designated as the Asean-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges. The ACC plans to organize more forums and events to further promote and strengthen the partnership.