By Keutkhuanchai Mallychansy

ASEAN Media Outlets Build A Positive Image of the Silk Road

By Keutkhuanchai Mallychansy

About the author: Keutkhuanchai Mallychansy is a sub-editor at the Lao News Agency.

ASEAN journalists have played an important role in promoting greater understanding and knowledge among people across the region regarding two new initiatives — ASEAN Connectivity and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The first Silk Road Media Cooperation Forum was held on Oct. 24 in Nanjing, China, and was attended by media representatives from China, Lao DPR, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea and other countries. The forum was one of a number of efforts being made to discuss recent events and challenges among members of the Silk Road Media Alliance, as well as to promote other cooperation endeavors in the future.

Attending ASEAN journalists not only made good use of their time at the forum, but also looked forward to witnessing the changing landscape of economic cooperation, as well as promoting positive images of ASEAN and China moving forward. Participants at the forum concentrated on new opportunities and challenges related to media cooperation, and focused on how media can speed up the exchanges of different ideas and key information. The participants also played diplomatic roles

and began beneficial dialogues.

China International Publishing Group (CIPG), the host of the forum, is considered one of China’s leading international communication agencies and an example of media cooperation between China and other countries along the Silk Road. Such cooperation also includes several magazines and photo albums that have been launched to help people better understand the Initiative, according to Zhou Mingwei, president of CIPG.

“Media not only conveys and disseminates information, but also helps cement bonds between different groups of people,” Zhou said.“Promoting the dissemination of information and people-to-people exchanges among countries along the Belt and Road is one of the main priorities of media outlets concerned.”

Yang Xiuping, Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Center, an inter-governmental organization jointly established by the governments of ASEAN member states and China, spoke to reporters at the forum about the closeness of ASEAN and China in recent years.

“As close neighbors, China and ASEAN countries enjoy a long history of friendly relations,” Yang said. “This year marks the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. It is also the Year of Educational Exchange for our two sides. Over the past 25 years, ASEAN-China relations have gone from strength to strength. China has been ASEAN’s biggest trading partner for seven straight years and ASEAN has been China’s third largest trading partner for five years in a row.The year 2015 witnessed a record high of more than 23 million visits and 190,000 student exchanges between China and ASEAN countries. China has set up 31 Confucius Institutes and 32 Confucius Classrooms in ASEAN countries as well as four Chinese Cultural Centers in Thailand, Singapore, Lao DPR and Cambodia. Each week in the seasons of summer and autumn, there are more than 2,000 international flights between China and ASEAN countries.”

Yang said that China-ASEAN relations have grown increasingly positive as economic exchanges between the two sides have increased.

“As a matter of fact, China-ASEAN relations today are the most robust and fruitful when compared with ASEAN’s other dialogue partners,” Yang continued. “These relations have yielded significant tangible benefits to our 2 billion people, and have contributed greatly to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.”

The regional proximity that exists between China and ASEAN makes positive relations a priority, Yang added. Investment, too, is key to regional prosperity, she explained.

“With the new initiatives of both sides, namely, ASEAN’s Connectivity and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, we are fully confident that China and ASEAN will tap the huge potential of these new trends of development,” Yang said.“ASEAN has become a priority in the Belt and Road Initiative of China. We are making joint efforts to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and advance our cooperation on connectivity and production capacity. The negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN-China FTA have been completed. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has been set up and the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism has been instituted. All these have given us further room for the advancement of China-ASEAN relations. Last month in Vientiane, Lao DPR, both sides reached a broad consensus and adopted a set of outcome documents at the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of bilateral dialogue relations, charting the course for the future development of China-ASEAN relations.The year 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and will also be the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation. We are confident that the future of bilateral relations will be even brighter.”

Yang also said that media cooperation forms an integral part of China-ASEAN relations. In recent years, the governments of both sides have made continuous efforts to expand and upgrade their cooperation.

The two sides have strengthened their communication of policies and drawn up cooperation plans through several meetings of ministers responsible for information exchanges between ASEAN and China and among ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea. Media cooperation has been reiterated in the Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (2016-2020).

The media agencies of both sides have conducted joint interviews, exchanges of personnel and a series of training programs and seminars. A number of Chinese radio broadcasting corporations and television stations are now broadcasting in ASEAN countries. Some agencies have forged mechanisms of cooperation such as the exchanges of programming, articles, reports and visits. Promoting mutual understanding among the people is a vital ingredient of the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The media plays a crucial role in being a bridge to facilitate cross-cultural exchanges.

Last month in Vientiane, Lao DPR, both sides reached a broad consensus and adopted a set of outcome documents at the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of bilateral dialogue relations, charting the course for the future development of China-ASEAN relations. The year 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and will also be the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation.