Zimbabwe applauds Xinhua role in promoting media cooperation

Zimbabwe's Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu on Monday applauded Xinhua News Agency for providing Zimbabweans with an opportunity to share the achievements of the recent Shanghai World Expo.

Speaking at the official opening of the Xinhua Photo Gallery on the Shanghai World Expo at the University of Zimbabwe's Confucius Institute, Shamu said the gallery was an important channel which sought to promote cultural exchanges between Chinese and Zimbabwean citizens.

"I would also want to underscore the fact that Xinhua News Agency is indeed a very important ally to the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity," Shamu said.

He chronicled other areas of cooperation between Xinhua and his ministry, including the co-hosting of a photo exhibition in March celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations between China and Zimbabwe and a training course for Zimbabwean photo-journalists.

"We are looking forward to our establishing an institute that will train our photographers in this country. We already have a film institute and we hope to be able to expand the activities within that institution and I sincerely hope that Xinhua News Agency will continue to play a strategic role which indeed promotes media cooperation and exchanges between our two countries. "

Xinhua chief correspondent in Harare Li Nuer said the exhibition was opened at the same time with 10 others in Africa. He added that the gallery would run for some time with pictures changed every two months to define different themes, with the first one being "Splendid Expo -- African Smile".

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Xin Shunkang also officiated at the opening ceremony.

Forty-two African countries and the African Union were part of the 246 countries and organizations that took part at the Shanghai World Expo which ran six months and attracted about 33 million visitors.

Source:Xinhua