Thursday, March 25, 2010

China's extends 'media diplomacy' to Asean...

China is prepared to discuss viable media projects to strengthen ties with Asean, says a senior official in charge of the country's press policy.
Liu Yunshan, head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the mechanism for such ventures had been set through the China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar, held every two years.

"As I see it, there is big potential for us to strengthen cooperation, particularly in media technology.
"What is important is to identify good projects and ensure their efficiency," he told participants of the seminar -- the fourth in its series -- who called on him at the Great Hall of the People.
Coincidently, visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai was meeting his Chinese host at another wing of the building at the same time.
Liu says media cooperation would be a significant component of China-Asean relationship, which had been boosted with the launch of the China-Asean Free Trade Area on January 1.
"We always believe that Asean countries are our neighbours, good friends and trustworthy partners," said Liu, a member of the political bureau of CPC Central Committee.
Describing the seminar as a success, he said the theme chosen on the challenges of new media was timely.
"The China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar has increasingly been institutionalised...that's good because it has established a platform for media cooperation between China and Asean," he said.
He invited the Asean media organisations to send their reporters and photographers to cover the World Expo in Shanghai from May 1 to October and the Asian Games and Asian Paralympic Games in Guangzhou in October.