By Chen Ying
YUXI, June 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The China-South Asia Media Forum serves as a platform for media professionals from China and South Asia countries to pursue stronger cooperation and promote people-to-people exchange, participants of the forum agreed.
The forum was opened in Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan province, on Tuesday.
Hundreds professionals and experts from China and South Asia countries, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Afghanistan attended the session.
China-South Asia Media Forum aims to strengthen media cooperation for people-to-people exchange among China and South Asia countries.
"China and South Asia counties are connected both geographically and culturally," Tian Shubin, Vice President of China Federation of Internet Societies and Chairman as well as President of Xinhuanet, said at the forum.
He pointed out that as the bridge connecting different civilizations, media should contribute more to all-round, multi-layered and wide-ranging cooperation among countries.
Tian also proposed to the participants to set up a fair and reasonable communication order, build a platform of interconnections and meet the challenges of media developing together.
Madhav Sharma, Language and Culture Advisor to the President of Nepal, said China's Belt and Road Initiative can be a great support for media cooperation, on the basis of improving the understanding and emotional attachment among participating countries.
Wang Chaowen, President of Cankaoxiaoxi, a Chinese reference information newspaper, shared his idea on how traditional print media, such as Cankaoxiaoxi, embraces the new media age by improving social media management.
For the purpose, he called for a closer and broader media cooperation.
"We are ready to closely cooperate with friends from South Asian media," Wang said.
Akram Uddin Ahmmad Mir, Senior Information Officer and PRO of Minister's Office in Bangladesh Ministry of Information, said people-to-people exchange builds relationships across cultures and helps the exchange of thoughts and skills of all kinds, and it is closely tied up with media cooperation.
"The stronger the media cooperation is, the better the people-to-people exchange can be." Mir said.
"People-to-people exchange generates mutual understanding and respect for each other," Saranga Wijeyarathne, Director General of Sri Lanka Rupavahini(TV) Corporation, pointed out.
Wijeyarathne said by providing a communication platform to media professionals, China is playing a significant role in bringing people in both China and South Asia countries together.
Participants from Gorkhapatra Corporation of Nepal, Heart of Asia of Afghanistan, as well as the local Yunnan Media Group also stressed the importance of media cooperation and people-to-people exchange.
At the forum, the newest media technology and application developed in China and South Asia were shared as a specific way for promoting media cooperation.
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