Some 27 African and 15 South Asian and Southeast Asian journalists taking part in a 10-month fellowship programme in China on Saturday September 16 began a tour of Gansu province in northwest China. Sponsored by China’s largest newspaper, People’s Daily, the visit is part of preparations for the 2017 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road to hold in the city of Dunhuang, Gansu province on September 19, and the Silk Road International Culture Expo to be organized in the same city the following day.

Over 460 media professionals will participate in the forum, including 303 foreign journalists from 126 countries and 256 media, and more than 160 Chinese journalists, the organsisers said. The foreign journalists are accompanied on the pre-event tour by high-level teams from the People’s Daily, local administrative and Communist Party of China officials, as well as interpreters. 

Amongst the projects, activities and sites being visited by the journalists during their four-day stay in Gansu province are the Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum, Silk Road Cultural Expo, Zongzhai Town Modern Agricultural Demonstration Area and Gobi Modern Agricultural Industrial Park. Others are the Kelu Wind Power Saving Project, Zhangzhi Cultural Industrial Park, Xuanzang Pilgrimage Museum, Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha (Singing Sand) Mountain, Crescent Moon Spring and the Silk Road and Flower Rain performance in Dunhuang.

Journalists visit a cucumber greenhouse in Zongzhai Town, Gansu province on September 17. Photo: Kimeng Hilton

In his congratulatory message to the 2016 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Silk Road is a rich legacy, adding that China’s initiative to revive the ancient trade route has won approval from many countries concerned. "The objectives of enhancing policy communication, expanding infrastructure connectivity, facilitating free trade, increasing the ease of capital flow and building shared recognition of a common destiny among peoples are the expressed wishes of all partners," Xi noted.

"The media has an irreplaceable role in disseminating information, enhancing mutual trust and building consensus. The Media Cooperation Forum on the Belt and Road offers a platform for media and journalists to hold dialogue, exchanges and make plans for cooperation and collaboration. I hope media participants will use this platform to make a contribution to the development of communication between countries, and peoples so that we can gain more mutual trust and understanding. Such contributions will play an important role in the realization of the One Belt, One Road vision," the Chinese leader stated.

Ndukong and staff member of People's Daily

*Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, a contributor to People’s Daily Online, is Sub-Editor for World News with Cameroon Tribune bilingual daily newspaper in Cameroon. He is currently a 2017 China-Africa Press Centre, CAPC fellow.