BEIJING: The media leaders of Pakistan and China on Tuesday called for building a common platform to jointly promote the all-weather friendship between the two countries and the construction of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework for the mutual benefit.
During a meeting between leaders of China Economic Daily and members of a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE), it was decided that there is a need to highlight all-weather friendship and strategic partnership as well as the ongoing cooperation for the construction of CPEC for benefit of people of the two countries.
The CPNE delegation comprising Tahir Farooq, Arif Baloch, Anwar Sajidi, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Yousaf Nizami, Bashir Memon, Tanveer Shaukat, Yahya Khan Sadozai, Aamer Mahmood, Ayaz Ahmed Khan, and Zubair Qureshi is currently on a five-day visit to China.
Welcoming the delegation, China Economic Daily President Wang stressed for a close cooperation between the Chinese and Pakistan media to project development of relations between the two nations in its true perspective and also the ongoing construction of development projects under CPEC for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
He informed that his organisation has been organising various activities to further enhance cooperation between the media of the two countries and said so far, four CPEC Media Forums have been held in both the countries. Wang observed that the CPEC Media Forum is playing a key role in bringing Chinese and Pakistani media outlets closer and projecting the CPEC in its true perspective. While inviting the members of the delegations to join the forum in the future, he asked them to put forward their useful proposals to further promote cooperation among media outlets.
He pointed out that his media organisation has generated a lot of news reports for the promotion of the all-weather friendship and CPEC projects, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Wang also called for cultural exchanges and people to people contacts and informed that several Chinese universities have established Urdu departments to promote the Urdu language among the Chinese, adding that around 20,000 Pakistani students are studying the Chinese language.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, CPNE Deputy Secretary-General Aamer Mahmood appreciated the role of China Economic Daily for special coverage of CPEC and relations between Pakistan and China. He also acknowledged the efforts of China Economic Daily for raising funds for two Pakistani soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the attack on Chinese Consul General in Karachi last month.
Aamer Mahmood said that the way the Pakistani and Chinese media showed unity and ensured factual news reporting of the incident is appreciable. China Economic Daily is taking practical steps for enhancing media interaction between the two countries, he added.
Balochistan Express Managing Director Arif Baloch also stressed the importance of media to further strengthen all-weather friendship between Islamabad and Beijing.
He informed that his media outlet has been highlighting positive aspects of the CPEC, particularly the Gwadar Port and its benefits for the local people. Arif Baloch opined that the media could play an important role and there is a need for the media houses to be more proactive in telling good stories for the benefit of the people.
China Economic Net Chief Editor Cui Jun informed that his organisation has taken several concrete measures to promote relations between the two countries.
“We arrange special talk shows, interviews, news reports, and documentaries to highlight the true and positive image of Pakistan and its people among the Chinese audience,” he added.
He also apprised the members of the delegation about the fundraising campaign and said that the employees of his organisation also took part with great enthusiasm for the welfare of the families of Pakistani police personnel who laid down their lives for the security of the families and staff of the Chinese Consul General in Karachi last month.
The delegation will leave for Shenzhen, the port city and visit power companies and a few high-tech industries.
