China's Boao Forum highlights need for Asian media cooperation

 

The Media Leaders Roundtable is held at the Boao Forum¹ for Asia Annual Conference in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, March 23, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua]

Media outlets² across Asia have participated in a roundtable at this year's Boao Forum for Asia on China's southern island of Hainan, to discuss new prospects³ for Asian media cooperation.

The roundtable invited over 20 media leaders from 15 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, who have joined the proposed Asian Media Cooperation Organization.

The director-general of China Radio International and the chairman of the roundtable Wang Gengnian pointed⁴ out that even though Asia has already become a driving force of world economic development, its international media voice is not strong enough.

"Asian economic integration⁵ has provided various platforms for Asian media cooperation, as the steady growth of the Asian economy is also asking for stronger media power. Asian media companies should work together to share their experiences and recount the stories of Asia, and help the Asian voice be heard in the international community."

The director general of the National Television of Cambodia Kem Gunawadh believed one of the main challenges for Asian media cooperation is a lack of an overall management group.

"Just as in external publicity⁶ works, some media companies are used to the method of communication, while others favor the idea of promotion⁷. In either case, in order to gain public acceptance and respect, a media company needs to improve its public trust and influence. Therefore a media cooperation organization is needed to discuss certain principles to regulate journalism⁸."

Co-sponsored by the Boao Forum, China Radio International and the China Public Diplomacy⁹ Association, the Asian Media Cooperation Organization is based on the Silk Road Initiative passed during the 2015 Boao Forum for Asia.

This year's event was the 4th annual roundtable discussion and consensus¹⁰ was reached on the charter, service scope, an operation model, and funding sources of the Asian Media Cooperation Organization, as well as discussing ways the Chinese government's Belt and Road Initiative can affect media coverage¹¹ in the region.

More than 100 countries and international organizations have now signalled their intention to be involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

This year's theme at the Boao forum for Asia is Globalization & Free Trade: Asian Perspectives, and the former prime minister of New Zealand Jennifer Shipley said the world's media has a responsibility to clearly convey the opportunities of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"As a former leader, but also as a person who is deeply excited but deeply concerned about how we make globalization something to be proud of and excited by, rather than to fear, the worldwide media has a critical role. It is no good for us to believe in a one belt and one road strategy of inclusion and connectedness, if the world's media does not explain and then inspire the listeners and observers of those possibilities."

Media from Brazil, Russia and Thailand are among the newest members to join the Asian Media Cooperation Organization.

1 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

2 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

6 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

7 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

8 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

9 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

10 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

11 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。