On 26 April 2017, the reporting trip themed “China-ASEAN Jointly Building 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, co-hosted by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and the State Council Information Office of China, and organized by China Report Magazine affiliated to China Foreign Language Publishing Administration, was ended in success.

The sub-theme of the reporting trip was Central China’s industrial transformation and international cooperation, focusing on Hunan and Jiangxi provinces’ features, their advantageous industries, their achievements in the Belt and Road Initiative, and prospects of their cooperation with ASEAN countries. During the 10-day trip, 20 journalists of 17 media agencies from 10 ASEAN Member States, along with Chinese journalists, visited seven cities and counties, namely, Changsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan of Hunan province, and Nanchang, Jiujiang, Jingdezhen, and Wuyuan of Jiangxi province. They held discussions with leaders of provincial and municipal governments and related institutions, made site-visits to Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Reform Pilot Area, Sany Group, Hunan Leopard Vehicles Company, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Company, Tidfore Group, Xiaolan Economic and Technical Development Zone, Jiangling Motors Corporation, Charoen Pokphand (CP) Jiujiang Feed Company, Sinopec Jiujiang Company, China Ceramics Museum, etc. All these sites provided ASEAN journalists with opportunities to learn about local socio-economic development, local cooperation with ASEAN countries, and experience local cultures and customs.

During the trip, the journalists listened to related briefings, interacted with local officials and enterprises’ managements, conducted on-site programme recordings, and made live broadcastings through online media. They also accepted interviews by Chinese counterparts, and aired their views and reflections during the visits. All ASEAN journalists opined that this trip enhanced their particular understanding of Central China, and offered them opportunities to experience Central China’s dynamism and momentum. After the trip, they would give objective and fair coverage of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces as their contributions to China-ASEAN relations. They also looked forward to more similar opportunities in the future.

H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, ACC Secretary-General, Ms. Zhao Jun, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Report Magazine, Mr. Vithit Powattanasuk, Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, leaders of Jiangxi related provincial departments accompanied the visits. The Chinese journalists of Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, China Central Television, China National Radio, China Radio International, China Daily, and local media of visited cities and provinces also joined the event.