Daily Times

BEIJING: As the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation approaches, China Media Group (CMG) and media from participating countries launched a new phases of cooperation in Beijing on October 9 .

During the ceremony, the Joint Initiative of CMG and Media of Belt and Road Partner Countries for Promoting Mutual Learning Among Civilizations was unveiled. The joint initiative reflects the media’s commitment to being conveyors of universal values, protectors of the diversity of world civilizations, and leaders in fostering people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Shen Haixiong, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and president and editor-in-chief of China Media Group (CMG), along with Nasirali Eldos Bigeldievich, chairman of the Committee of Information under the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Rao Quan, deputy minister of Culture and Tourism; Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Xing Bo, vice president of CMG, and envoys from relevant countries, as well as media representatives, collectively inaugurated the broadcast exhibition event showcasing CMG’s premium program for Belt and Road partner countries.

This year commemorates the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The collaborative development of the BRI has transitioned from being a Chinese initiative to a global consensus, and it has now transformed into a significant international cooperation platform and a global public good, said CMG president Shen Haixiong.

He said that CMG actively engages as a participant, observer, and storyteller of the BRI, and has signed news service agreements with 682 media organizations in 151 countries, and established the world’s first international film and television media alliance, using the “Silk Road” as a unifying link.

Shen further expressed CMG’s readiness to collaborate with media organizations from diverse nations, sharing the responsibilities of the media, fostering friendship along the Silk Road, and contributing to promoting universal values, the establishment of a shared future for humanity, and the enrichment and advancement of new forms of human civilization.

The collaborative development of the BRI exemplifies the tangible effort to construct a global community with a shared future for humanity, said Rao Quan, deputy minister of Culture and Tourism,

In recent years, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has collaborated closely with CMG to enhance their international communication capabilities, aiming to effectively convey the narrative of China’s involvement in and contributions to the BRI, Rao said.

Kazakhstan stands among the initial nations to endorse and gain from the Belt and Road Initiative, said Nasirali Eldos Bigeldievich, chairman of the Committee of Information under the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Over the past decade, there has been a steady growth of interactions and collaboration between China and Kazakhstan across various domains, including the economy, trade, and culture, he said.

Following the inauguration of the broadcast exhibition event featuring CMG’s premium programs for Belt and Road partner countries, over 30 programs are set to premiere in 34 languages on various TV and new media platforms across 52 BRI participating countries, starting this October.

Engaging programs like “Everlasting Classics” and “The Call of the Silk Road” narrate stories of connections between peoples. These programs offer audiences an authentic experience of the fusion of Chinese civilization with other cultures from around the world.