Translated with AI
Below is the full text of the speech by Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the People's Daily newspaper Fang Jiangshan at the opening ceremony of the Central Asia-China Media Forum 2025, reports People's Daily.
Dear guests,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends!
Good morning!
In the warm month of May, the colorful blossoms of early summer inspire people to seek poetic distances. Today, to mark the second anniversary of the initiative of “Jointly building a community of shared future for Central Asia and China based on mutual assistance and support, common development, comprehensive security and centuries-old friendship” put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Central Asia-China Summit, high-ranking politicians, renowned entrepreneurs, leading scientists and media representatives from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in beautiful Astana, the city where the concept of the Silk Road Economic Belt was first proposed. Participation in the Central Asia-China Media Forum 2025, jointly organized by the People's Daily and the Television and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is of utmost importance. At this forum, participants discuss the role of media in practical cooperation between Central Asian countries and China under the general theme of "The Silk Road Unites Media: Towards a Closer Community of Shared Destiny between Central Asia and China." We conduct an in-depth exchange of opinions, explore the possibilities of creating a broad-based, diverse and sustainable cooperation mechanism, advance media interaction and cooperation to a new level, and make proposals for further rapprochement between the countries of the region and strengthening the community of shared destiny.
On behalf of the newspaper's Director-General Yu Shaoliang and Editor-in-Chief Chen Jianwen, on behalf of the People's Daily, I would like to extend a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to all the guests of the media forum!
Dear guests!
“A true friend is a treasure wherever he is.” The Central Asian countries are good neighbors of China, partners on the path to common development and prosperity. Historically, Central Asia and China are connected geographically and culturally, the friendship between our peoples goes through centuries and remains strong despite the distance. In January 2022, at a video summit dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries, President Xi Jinping for the first time put forward the idea of “building a closer community with a shared future for Central Asia and China.”
The ancient Silk Road became a bright thread that closely linked Central Asia and China. A look into the past shows that the idea of creating a community of common destiny is a common aspiration of our peoples, a response to the centuries-old friendship of the Silk Road.
The Central Asian countries and China are developing countries that have gone through similar historical stages, with common development goals and similar aspirations for revival. We are natural members of the global South and fellow travelers on the path to modernization. From this perspective, building a closer community of shared destiny is an urgent need.
Our common interests in the areas of development strategies, security and cultural exchange are growing, and cooperation is expanding. A comprehensive, multi-layered, broad-based community of common destiny will help the countries of the region achieve mutual success on the path of modernization and will become a model for new international relations.
Today, the five Central Asian countries and China officially announced the establishment of communities with a shared future at the bilateral level. This is the first time that the concept has covered the region in both bilateral and multilateral formats. The full coverage of the region reflects the determination and aspiration of the parties to achieve a higher level and quality of cooperation. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind is gradually becoming a global consensus and common value, turning into a powerful movement. Economic globalization as a historical trend is irreversible. In the modern “global village”, the destinies of all nations are intertwined, and joint construction and development are becoming an inevitable reality. Cooperation and mutual benefit are the only path to sustainable success. This is a profound lesson taught by the practice of the idea of a community with a shared future for more than ten years, and a valuable experience in promoting high-quality cooperation within the framework of the “Belt and Road”.
"Central Asia-China" is our common home. All participants of the "Central Asia-China" mechanism are neighbors, and the achievements or problems of one side affect the entire region. Peace, development, prosperity and stability are the common aspirations and goals of the Central Asian countries and China. Therefore, we must join forces for the sake of common development, maximize the potential of the region. Effective use of new opportunities within the framework of high-quality construction of the "Belt and Road" and the "Central Asia-China" cooperation mechanism will closely unite our fertile lands and open a new era in relations.
Today, the world is experiencing unprecedented changes not seen in a century. We are facing new challenges and opportunities. Jointly building a community of shared destiny, strengthening solidarity, genuine multipolarity, inclusive globalization, and promoting a just world order are not only a historical mission, but also a path to shared prosperity.
Dear guests!
Media cooperation is an important part of Central Asia-China relations. The media is a bridge of information exchange and ambassadors of cultural dialogue. At this time of rapid changes, journalists from our six countries should feel the spirit of the times, maintain confidence, develop cooperation, adhere to the principles of truthfulness, objectivity, fairness and social responsibility. With our professional actions and authority, we should explain and guide, tell sincere, vivid stories of the community of shared destiny of Central Asia and China, contribute to strengthening this community and create an atmosphere of consensus and constructive public opinion.
Here I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the topic of this forum.
First, we need to disseminate values, build consensus, and jointly build a closer “bridge of mutual trust” of the community with a shared future for Central Asia and China. In the era of complex information, the media should honestly fulfill their duties as “gatekeepers” of facts and “guardians” of core values, respect facts, common sense and common knowledge, resist fake news and biased reporting, and work together to maintain a clear regional public opinion. We should actively disseminate the positions of the two sides that firmly support each other on issues related to core interests, deeply communicate the vivid practice of close cooperation between the two sides in international and regional affairs, and enhance the level of understanding and recognition of the people of the two sides on each other’s development paths, domestic and foreign policies.
Secondly, it is necessary to achieve mutual benefit, find emotional resonance, and jointly tell the story of cooperation to build a closer community with a shared future between Central Asia and China. The history of friendly cooperation between Central Asian countries and China is the colorful background of the community with a shared future. As representatives of the media, we should actively seek ways of expression that are conducive to communication, create a shared space for mutually beneficial dialogue, closely follow the topics of high-quality construction of the “One Belt, One Road” and “Results of the Central Asia-China Summit”, jointly tell, write and disseminate the “history of development”, “history of friendship” and “history of cooperation” in different languages and forms, and care for the tree of friendship between the peoples of Central Asia and China.
Third, it is necessary to innovate the forms, strengthen the influence, and jointly create a closer new situation of the communities with a shared future for Central Asia and China. Today, information technology is developing rapidly, and there is a profound change in the ecology of public opinion, the media environment, and the mode of dissemination. Intellectualization is uniting the Silk Road, and digitalization is opening a new chapter. Central Asian and Chinese media should actively utilize the achievements of information technology, work together to strengthen cooperation in the application of artificial intelligence and big data in news production, strive to share information, platforms and achievements, overcome traditional communication barriers, and constantly improve communication power and influence, so that the whole world can hear the strong voice of the times in building a community with a shared future for Central Asia and China.
Fourth, we need to strengthen exchanges and mutual enrichment, and jointly cultivate closer future talents of the community of shared destiny between Central Asia and China. The integration of civilizations begins with the exchange of personnel, flourishes with the connection of peoples, and culminates in a common destiny. We should adhere to the concept of pursuing unity while preserving differences, and strengthen the exchange and cooperation of talents with a more open attitude and more practical measures. Central Asian and Chinese media can organize bilateral training seminars or mutual visits, send young editors and reporters to each other's institutions for short-term on-site exchanges every year, conduct in-depth research and interviews at the forefront of friendly cooperation, and prepare a manuscript on the history of the Silk Road that is close to the people and can resonate.
From tomorrow, media colleagues will go to Almaty and conduct a press tour, and I believe that during these two days of communication, we will cultivate mutual trust, build communication bridges, strengthen personal friendships and further lay a solid foundation for long-term cooperation. I look forward to seeing each other more often in the future so that the seeds of friendship can take root and grow in the hearts of great people.
Dear guests!
The People's Daily, which I serve wholeheartedly, is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the largest newspaper in China with high authority and strong influence. At present, it has grown from a newspaper into a media fleet with more than ten media outlets, including newspaper, magazine, website, app, mini-program, screen and account, with a total reach of more than 1.5 billion users of all media, with the People's Daily as the flagship.
At the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the important initiative of establishing the Belt and Road Information Network, which has received positive feedback from media outlets around the world, especially from countries and regions participating in the joint construction of the Belt and Road. On April 23, 2019, the first meeting of the Belt and Road Information Network Council was successfully held. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the participants of the meeting. The Silk Road Prize for International Communications is designed to encourage and guide media organizations and relevant individuals in countries participating in the joint construction of the Belt and Road to learn from each other, join forces, and jointly tell the story of the Belt and Road. As a result, 19 works, including "Kazakhstan and the Belt and Road Initiative: Where the Road Leads", were selected for the first Silk Road Prize in International Communications. The call for applications for the second Silk Road Prize has been closed.
Today, thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, the information network chaired by the People's Daily newspaper continues to increase its influence and convergence and has become an important platform for media cooperation within the framework of the "One Belt, One Road". As of today, 292 media outlets from 114 countries, including 29 media outlets from Central Asian countries, participate in the information network. The co-organizer of the Forum is the Television and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is the chairing organization of the information network. We sincerely invite all media organizations of our colleagues to join the Information Network and deepen cooperation between the media of Central Asian countries and China.
Since 2014, People's Daily has organized eight Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forums. The ninth forum will be held in China's Yunnan Province this September. It is a great honor for me to invite all the leading media representatives from Central Asian countries here, and I sincerely welcome you to participate in this grand ceremony.
Dear guests!
At the first Central Asia-China Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries jointly planted six pomegranate trees in the Central Asia-China Friendship Forest. Two years have passed, and this friendship has long blossomed and bloomed. Let us learn from the historical wisdom of the thousand-year-old Silk Road and accept the call of the times to build a closer community of shared destiny between Central Asia and China as a purpose: like-minded people will always converge, and companions will achieve a bright future!
This forum is not only a clash of ideas, but also a call to action. A special photo exhibition of the Central Asia-China Media Forum 2025 is organized outside the conference hall. Most of these valuable photos have been published in the People's Daily and the overseas edition of People's Daily. Each photo reflects the historical moments of friendly exchanges and mutual benefit between the Central Asian countries and China. All these touching moments are worth remembering forever. Standing at a new historical beginning, the pens and lenses in our hands not only record the firm footprints of the Central Asian countries and China moving forward hand in hand, but also carry a mission in the era of writing a new chapter in the construction of a community with a shared future for Central Asia and China.
People's Daily is willing to work with the media of Central Asian countries in the same direction and shoulder to shoulder, taking this forum as a new starting point to further deepen practical exchanges and cooperation, paint a new picture of Central Asian-Chinese media cooperation, so that the good sound of Central Asian-Chinese cooperation will spread further, and the positive energy of the community of shared destiny of Central Asia and China will become stronger!
In conclusion, I wish the Central Asia – China Media Forum 2025 complete success!
I sincerely wish all guests good health and all the best!
Thank you for your attention!
(Editor: Chu Mengqi, Yang Qian)
