International Exchange and Cooperation

Over the past year, the Chinese media have carried out active and open exchanges and cooperation with foreign counterparts. The main features are:

1. Carrying out international exchange and cooperation by proceeding from objectives listed in the Road and Belt Initiative. From June 23 to July 2, the State Council Information Office organized a joint event themed "China and ASEAN Co-building the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road," inviting Chinese and foreign journalists to Beijing, Fujian and other places. From September 21 to 22, 2015 People's Daily held the 2015 Media Cooperation Forum themed on "a community of shared destiny, and a new pattern of cooperation," attended by nearly 140 media from 60 countries and international organizations. In relation to the "One Road, One Belt" Initiative, the ACJA has integrated its resources in foreign exchange in the following activities:

• It organized a symposium on the Road and Belt Initiative for news media from China, Russia, Indonesia and some other countries;

• It took the Road and Belt Initiative as the theme when receiving press delegations from Thailand, Ukraine and other countries and when sending Chinese delegations to visit Indonesia, the Maldives and other countries, to make foreign press better understand this initiative;

• It co-organized interviews in Xinjiang on the Road and Belt Initiative with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council for mainland and Taiwan reporters;

• It organized Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan correspondents in Beijing to make special reports on the China-Arab States Expo in Ningxia;

• It invited the Taiwan Association of Medium-power FM Radio Stations, Taipei Journalists Association, Chinese Journalists Association of Taiwan and some other news groups to visit Shandong, Heilongjiang, Guizhou and other places on the Road and Belt Initiative;

• It invited senior leaders of Hong Kong news media to visit Fujian;

• It invited the European Association of Chinese Media delegation to visit Ningxia; and

• It invited Chinese language media from the United States and Canada to visit Beijing, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places.

2. Organizing in-depth exchanges of views on topics of common concern.

First, exchanging experiences on integrated media development. Facing the impact of new media, media of all countries have to meet the challenge of integrating traditional and new media. In 2015, the ACJA:

• invited press delegations from France, Austria, Poland and other countries to visit relevant government departments, research institutions, and other news organizations in China, acquainting them with China's measures to promote integration of traditional and new media;

• organized and sent Chinese press delegations to Austria, Switzerland and other countries to study their progress in this area and gain from their experience;

• organized a delegation to attend the 14th Symposium on Journalism in Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau of China, the theme of which was "theories and practice of Chinese language media cooperation under the new situation of media convergence";

• organized a delegation of broadcasting media to visit Taiwan on the theme "development of broadcasting media in face of challenges of new media"; and

• on the same theme, organized central news agencies to visit Hong Kong and Macau for exchange of views.

Second, exchanging views in the field of press ethics. In recent years, China has been working hard to promote institutional building of press ethics. Since the end of 2014, the ACJA has been carrying out exchanges with the British Union of Press Ethics. It sent Chinese press delegations to investigate the reform of news self-discipline organizations of the UK and invited leaders of the British Union of Press Ethics to China to discuss and exchange experience with Chinese leaders of press ethics committees in pilot cities and with media reporters.

3. Extensively carrying out international cooperation in the field of internet. China upholds a policy of active utilization, scientific development, management by law, and guaranteed security for internet development. It shares with the world the opportunities and achievements offered by the prosperity and development of China's internet, trying to build a cyberspace of common destiny with the rest of the world. In the past year, China held or attended several international conferences, including the first and the second world internet conferences (Wuzhen Summit), China-ASEAN Cyberspace Forum, 2015 China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum, China-EU Digital Cooperation Roundtable, Online Silk Road Forum of China-Arab States Expo, and the Seventh and Eighth US-China Internet Industry Forums. Through these conferences, China has advanced exchanges with Russia and cooperation in internet, established a mechanism of exchanges and cooperation in internet security between China and Cuba, signed an internet cooperation agreement with the UK, and sent personnel to take part in bilateral or multilateral international exchanges, actively building a multilateral, democratic and transparent international internet governance system. China's efforts to build an interconnected and globally shared internet governed by all have been extensively acknowledged. Guided by its plan of "Internet Preceding the Road and Belt Initiative," China is currently working to take advantage of the strengths of new media, act as a good communicator, driver and guide for the Road and Belt Initiative to spread new ideas and positive energy, and open up new cooperation in media interconnectivity.

Adopting diverse forms of exchanges and cooperation. First, actively carrying out bilateral exchanges. In February 2015, the State Council Information Office organized an activity themed "China in the Eyes of Foreigners," inviting diplomats and experts from Algeria and other countries to Beijing and Zhangjiakou to make studies. From June 29 to July 5, it hosted a media delegation from Mongolia which visited Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall and other places. From November 28 to December 11, it hosted a press corps from the US, UK and Australia and organized two groups of 190 young journalists to visit Japan. In 2015, the ACJA hosted 39 groups numbering 362 people from 34 countries, including the US, UK, France, Russia, Japan and South Korea for visits and interviews, sent 22 Chinese press delegations of 132 people to the US, Russia, Japan and other 34 countries, promoting understanding and deepening cooperation between Chinese and foreign media; organized press delegations to France, Germany, Italy and the US on the theme of "role of overseas Chinese language media" to investigate their development, and organized a visit for journalists from the mainland of China to Taiwan focusing on "food security" and "development of the green energy industry."

Second, participating in multilateral exchanges and cooperation. In 2014, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) sent a radio and broadcasting delegation to attend the 51st General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). In 2015, the ACJA sent a press delegation to South Korea to attend the World Journalist Conference 2015, a delegation to Vietnam to attend the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ), and a delegation to Indonesia to attend the annual conference of the Chinese Language Press Institute.

Third, holding or attending international seminars. In 2015, the State Council Information Office held the Second India-China Media Forum, the Tenth China-Japan Media Dialogue, US-China Media Roundtable, the 11th Beijing-Tokyo Forum, the Seventh South Korea-China High-level Media Dialogue, the First UK-China Media Roundtable, the Fifth Germany-China Media Dialogue, and the China-Africa Media Summit, in addition to organizing a press delegation to Grenada to attend the First China-Caribbean Media Seminar. In June 2014, the SAPPRFT held in Beijing the Second Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation themed "deepening cooperation and developing together." In 2015, the ACJA sent a press delegation to Guizhou to attend the Forum on the Global Chinese Language Media.

Fourth, holding cultural activities. The SAPPRFT gave support to holding such activities as "Swimming across the Taiwan Straits" and "New Discoveries across the Straits," attended the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market, organized a fellowship activity for film and TV workers from across the Straits during the Shanghai TV Festival, held the Sixth Straits Film and Television Festival under the Straits Forum, and implemented key projects in radio, film and television cooperation with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Fifth, organizing training programs. In 2015, the State Council Information Office held workshops for information officials and journalists from Burmese-, Arabic-, Spanish- and English-speaking African countries, training sessions for journalists from Myanmar's private media, and seminars for information ministers from developing countries, training 136 foreign information officials, media executives and journalists. From November 28 to December 5, 2015, the ACJA sponsored a workshop for 12 journalists from six Pacific islands. Finally, in November 2015 Yunnan Journalists Association held a workshop for 20 Myanmar journalists from 11 Myanmar media agencies.