The 2020 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum Held Online

        The 2020 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum was held online on October 23. The forum was led by China’s State Council Information Office and hosted by China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and the ASEAN-China Center. Nearly 60 press officials, media representatives, and experts and scholars from China and 10 ASEAN countries discussed for pushing forward cooperation and enhancing ties between China and ASEAN countries.

        Guo Weimin, Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office, said at the opening ceremony that under the pandemic, the media of China and ASEAN countries should take the initiative to build a sound public opinion environment for regional development and global economic recovery. He suggested that both sides should uphold the concept of a global community with a shared future and promote the construction of a community of common health for mankind. He also called for digital cooperation for better economic and trade cooperation to a new level and closer media exchanges and cooperation for close ties between people of China and ASEAN countries.

　　 Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), said that media exchanges and cooperation are an important part of ASEAN-China relations. The current situation requires both sides to innovate and find new fields of cooperation such as digital economy and social media so as to jointly tackle future challenge.

　　 Du Zhanyuan, President of CIPG, pointed out in his speech that China and ASEAN countries are all facing the dual tasks of epidemic prevention and control and economic development. The media on both sides have much to do in promoting China-ASEAN relations. The two sides should jointly promote regional public health governance based on scientific and rational principles, leverage the advantages of the media to jointly promote digital economic cooperation and share experiences for better poverty reduction cooperation.

　　 At this forum, the e-book of Keywords to Understand China: Targeted Poverty Alleviation in English, Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese version was released.