Chinese, Sri Lankan media professionals eye more exchanges to facilitate bilateral ties

COLOMBO, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A seminar on China-Sri Lanka media cooperation was held here on Friday, focusing on media's role in building the China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future.

In an opening speech, Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Mass Media Kaushalya Ariyarathne said that the development of Sri Lanka-China media cooperation in recent years has shown that media are no longer merely a means of transmitting information, but have become an important tool for promoting mutual understanding between societies and enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Both countries regard media as an important area of bilateral cooperation and deem it necessary to jointly respond to the challenges and opportunities brought by new technologies, she said, adding that the seminar can help promote sustainable media dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wei Huaxiang said on the occasion that China-Sri Lanka media exchanges and personnel visits have grown closer in recent years. Every year, the embassy invites Sri Lankan journalists to China for study visits, exchanges and mutual learning.

The ambassador expressed the hope that the two sides will further deepen the media cooperation mechanism, broaden avenues for exchange, and carry out practical cooperation in news reporting, content production, personnel training and technological innovation, to tell stories of China-Sri Lanka friendly cooperation well.

Fan Daqi, vice president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, said that standing at a new historical starting point in China-Sri Lanka relations, it is the common responsibility of Chinese and Sri Lankan media professionals to record the progress of cooperation between the two countries, tell stories of China-Sri Lanka friendship, and promote mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples.

Participants in the seminar held that as the two countries continue to deepen their friendship through economic cooperation, regional connectivity, infrastructure development, and cultural, scientific and technological exchanges, the role of media organizations is becoming increasingly important. Media must responsibly report on both sides' development, clearly explain the essence of bilateral cooperation, promote mutual respect, and work together to push forward the building of the China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future.

After the seminar, both sides released an initiative on China-Sri Lanka media cooperation and an action plan for China-Sri Lanka media cooperation, charting a new path for media exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

More than 80 guests from government departments, media organizations, think tanks and universities of both countries attended the event.