(KPL) The 2024 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road commenced on August 28 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. The forum, themed "Enhancing Media Cooperation for Common Development," aims to promote media collaboration and build connections. 

Over the years, it has evolved into a high-end platform for dialogue and communication among policymakers, media practitioners, entrepreneurs, and scholars. The event included a series of interactive sessions exploring diverse topics such as the role of media in a fluid international landscape, media opportunities and challenges, and media responses.

Participants also had the opportunity to attend a week-long media workshop, which included visits to different parts of China. The forum's goal is to emphasize the positive role of media in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Organized by the People's Daily of China, the forum attracted more than 270 media representatives from over 100 countries and international organizations worldwide. In his opening address, Li Shulei, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Secretariat, and Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, highlighted the forum as a crucial platform for advancing the Belt and Road and its modernization. He emphasized that media cooperation is key to fostering development, enhancing mutual understanding, and bringing tangible benefits to people.

Mr. Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, noted that Sichuan plays a vital role in comprehensive Silk Road cooperation. The province ranks third in the country for passenger train transport, with 75 million passengers, and exports goods to over 200 countries, further boosting business opportunities.

Tuo Zhen, President of the People's Daily, referred to the Belt and Road as "the great project of the century," and stressed that the success of the BRI depends on global understanding, with media playing a critical role in this effort. He emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between domestic and international media for mutually beneficial outcomes.

The forum also saw the establishment of a Belt and Road joint interview mechanism and a cooperation union for regional collaboration. This event has become the largest and most influential media gathering ever hosted by China's mainstream media since the first forum was held in 2014.

KPL