The Forum of Information Agencies for the Development of Cooperation and the Third International Communication Conference of the Silk Road began work today in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. The event is being held on the initiative of the Xinhua News Agency (PRC) and the Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The forum is attended by delegations from leading media outlets, official agencies and communications structures from China and Central Asian countries, including representatives of the Avesta.tj media group (Tajikistan), as well as specialists in the field of international information policy and cultural cooperation.
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the forum participants with a welcoming address. In the address, read at the opening ceremony, the head of state noted the importance of deepening humanitarian ties and expressed confidence that the upcoming discussion will contribute to further strengthening the partnership between China and the Central Asian countries.
— This forum is being held as part of the visit of the Chairman of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and the second China-Central Asia forum. We attach great importance to interaction with the countries of Central Asia, and the current Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan is evidence of our desire to expand cultural and information exchange, — the text of the address says.
Fu Hua, Director General of the Xinhua News Agency, delivered a report entitled "Promoting the China-Central Asia Spirit." He noted that information interaction between the countries of the region plays a key role in shaping a new narrative of international communication and promoting the concept of a common future.
— In China they say: “When people are united, mountains can be moved.” In Central Asia they say: “Where there is unity, there is happiness.” Today, we are writing a new page in humanitarian cooperation together, strengthening ties and promoting the idea of a close community with a common destiny, — the head of the Chinese agency emphasized.
The main topics of the forum were deepening media interaction along the Silk Road routes, promoting the concept of a “green Silk Road”, protecting cultural heritage, expanding Eurasian interconnectedness and jointly forming a modern communications architecture.
The event also featured speeches by Deputy Chairman of the People's Diplomacy Association of the People's Republic of China Qiu Xiaoqi, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kanat Iskakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Kazakhstan Han Chunlin, Secretary General of the China-Central Asia Mechanism Sun Weidong and other officials.
The forum will last for several days, following which it is planned to sign memorandums of cooperation, as well as develop joint initiatives for the development of the media sphere in Central Asia and China.