Promoting high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation – Media Awareness Forum in China
The China-led Belt and Road Initiative continues to expand as a leading contributor to the economic transformation of the Global South, positively impacting the standard of living in those economies. Notwithstanding, due to several factors, there remain large gaps in the public perception and understanding of the positive influence in many benefiting countries.
The recent Belt and Road Forum for International Think Tank Cooperation and the second Silk Road (Xi’an) International Communication Forum were held in Xi’an City, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, from October 13 to 15, 2024. Over 300 diplomats, think tank experts, and media practitioners from more than 50 countries engaged in exchanges and discussions under the theme ‘Promoting high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation to Facilitate Shared Modernization.’
In extending greetings to the delegates, Mr. Shan Shuping, Deputy Minister of Publicity of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, declared, “It is a great honour to gather with leaders and guests at the ancient capital of Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road, to celebrate this grand event for Silk Road media exchange and cooperation.”
His presentation reflected on the beginnings of the Belt and Road Initiative eleven years ago led by China’s President Xi to today, where “more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements, advancing policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and closer people-to-people ties”. He continued, “as a result, the Belt and Road has become a path of peace, prosperity, openness, innovation, and civilization. Our media friends have remained dedicated to covering the Belt and Road Initiative over these eleven years, serving as recorders, participants, and promoters of shared development.”
In his opening remarks, Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and chairman of the Belt and Road Studies Network, stated that the BRI has brought tangible benefits to countries around the world while also contributing to addressing global development challenges and has positively impacted the international governance system. He further emphasized that “the Belt and Road Initiative has opened up a new path for humanity to achieve shared modernization”.
The agenda included presentations on the role of the media in assessing and disseminating findings of the impact of Belt and Road projects on economies across regions. Ayanda Mdluli, editor of the Daily News at Independent Media in South Africa, shared his perspective on the role of the media in his presentation. “As journalists, we have a critical role to play in shaping the narrative of this historic undertaking. The BRI presents an unprecedented opportunity for global cooperation, and our responsibility is to inform, educate, and facilitate dialogue. However, we face challenges where some of us still operate in Information silos, have to contend with and navigate through minefields of misinformation, and lack of political will to effect real change on top of various cultural barriers.”
Mdluli went on to list five steps through which media partners can engage in content sharing and the development of new content to showcase, not only on Chinese platforms but also on
Western platforms, to level the playing field by providing variety and diverse opinions. These steps include developing exchange programs for journalists and utilising technology to create platforms for shared content.
Complementing South Africa’s presentation, Petra Williams of Antigua and Barbuda posited that “there are still gaps in the information dissemination network on the significance of the Belt and Road among many; the connections it has opened in international trade of goods and services, and the almost bottomless plethora of opportunities that exist for continued growth and improving the standard of living.” She advocated that it is the role of mediaprofessionals to stand in that gap of the paucity of information. The Media must “gather the information, to bear first-hand witness, to be the vanguards of the developments as they unfurl.”
Williams reiterated the need for the media to position themselves in spaces where Belt and Road programs and initiatives are ongoing for their own country and to find opportunities to connect the dots across regions. She stated, “The cross-sharing of information facilitates global connections, allowing our nationals to appreciate that the path to progress is a global initiative with opportunities beyond their borders and demonstrates that the offerings in the Belt and Road is a global collective which other nations choose. In today’s environment, the Media, the fourth estate, are the gatekeepers standing in the gap to ensure our citizens are exposed to the nature of the Belt and Road Initiative and its positive benefits.”
A significant highlight of the three-day event was the release of a think tank report, “Eight Major Steps Heralds Promising New Decade of Belt and Road Cooperation.” The report provides an assessment of the eight initiatives aimed at advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road, as announced by President XI Jinping during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October 2023.
The forum was jointly hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, and the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province. The three-day event included field research, cultural exchanges, and parallel forums, with participants visiting various locations in Shaanxi.
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Consorting with chinese communists ends in death.
Petra I’m a little disappointed in you. I listen to you often on the radio giving your perspective on things. However I find them to be of sub-standard from an economic point of view. And I know you can do better. You could show figures in China’s contribution to our Twin Island state. Where would we have been without a property such as Sir Vivian Richard Station. What is the economical value and how does that affect our GDP. This is a value that was just dropped in our lap. And do we really appreciate these grants. And there are many more grants and cheap loans that we have enjoyed. Put these in some economic perpective and let people be educated. It seems to me like you are enjoying a “Free ALL Expenses Paid Vacation.” Stop being lazy and work for your money. I look forward in readying some indepth economic analysis stemming from the BRI. China deserves the credit for the role it is playing in our economic development. Soon to come Free Homes in Bobey Alley. Other Islands are looking at us and wondering how come China is doing all of this for Antigua and Barbuda. What are they getting out of it. Ask the Chinese what is it for them? I know I should not say this, but my people are one set of UNGRATFUL People. No matter how much we get, we do not seem to be ever saying THANK YOU. Please say thank you on our behalf. Let them know that we do appreaciate their assistance past, present and future.
Remember you have been trained by the best, Lennox Weston. Do not let him down.
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