On 23 January 2018, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) held Media Networking Meeting among media officers of ASEAN Embassies in China, ASEAN media in Beijing and Chinese leading media. Attended the meeting were media officers from Embassies of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, journalists from Antara News Agency of Indonesia, the Star of Malaysia, and Lianhe Zaobao of Singapore, representatives from Xinhua Net, China Network Television (CNTV), People.com, Sina.com, China Report, China-ASEAN Panorama, Journal of World Education, 21st Century Business Herald, China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) Secretariat, ACC Wechat Service Provider, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Communication University of China (CUC), totaling over 40 participants.

The meeting was moderated by Mr. Vithit Powattanasuk, Director of IPRD of ACC. He thanked all participated partners for the strong support to ACC in the past year and briefed on ACC’s planned major projects in 2018 in the field of information and public relations. He mentioned that 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. This meeting is aimed at giving a full play to ACC’s role of a one-stop information and activities centre, and providing an opportunity to communicate with each other face-to-face, consolidating the mutual understanding and discussing the potentials and possibilities for both sides’ media to launch practical cooperation in 2018 and near future.

Singapore is the rotating chair country of ASEAN this year. Mr. Lam Guang Feng, First Secretary of Singaporean Embassy in China, delivered remarks on behalf of ASEAN Embassies in China. He mentioned that with the booming trend of digital technology particularly in new media, traditional media faces challenges of new technologies, new disseminating ways and new thinking modes. 2018 marks the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. ASEAN countries’ media wish to strengthen cooperation with Chinese counterparts, and jointly tackle the challenges with innovation and joint efforts. He said that the meeting was timely to happen and would help all parties share experience, seek cooperation and achieve win-win result.

During the meeting, representatives from Xinhua Net, CNTV, People.com, Sina.com, China Report, China-ASEAN Panorama, CAEXPO Secretariat, ACC Wechat Service Provider, CASS, CUC respectively outlined their exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries, and proposed suggestions and ideas on jointly organizing media forum, mutual visits of both sides’ media, setting up columns in each other’s news websites, inviting ten ASEAN ambassadors to China to make interview programme, further leveraging such social media platforms as Wechat, Weibo to enhance interaction online, jointly launching research programmes on media and jointly exploring reports on outcomes of innovation. Delegates from ASEAN Embassies gave active response. Media officers from Embassies of the Philippines, Singapore, Lao PDR, Thailand and Indonesia shared their own working programmes in 2018 particularly in media. They would like to take into consideration all the proposals of Chinese partners and will continue to work with ACC and all Chinese partners to actively push forward the mutual cooperation.

All participated delegates from ASEAN and China respectively thanked ACC for holding the face-to-face discussion, and echoed that media exchanges are crucial for promoting mutual understanding and practical cooperation. They hoped ACC continue to play the role of bridge and bond linking both sides and creating more exchange opportunities. They would strengthen contacts and move forward together so as to make greater contributions to the development of ASEAN-China relations.

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