Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Tuesday to the 2016 MediaCooperation Forum on the Belt and Road, calling on media to play a positive role inpushing forward the progress of the initiative.
President Xi said that the Silk Road is a common treasure for people from all over theworld. In order to promote the spirit of the Silk Road, China has put forward the Belt andRoad Initiative, which will be jointly carried out through extensive consultation so that ithonors the interests of all, and promotes policy coordination, facilities connectivity,unimpeded trade, financial integration and person-to-person bonds between countriesalong the Belt and Road route.
China is willing to join hands with these countries to build the mutually beneficial andcooperative network of Belt and Road, jointly found a new model of cooperation, explorethe platform of multilateral cooperation, and push forward programs in key fields to builda green, healthy, intelligent and peaceful Silk Road, Xi said, noting that this will benefit allthe people and countries along the road.
“Media plays an essential role in communicating information, enhancing mutual trust andbuilding consensus. This forum provides a platform for media from many countries toengage in dialogue and practice cooperation.” The Chinese president added, “We hope toutilize this platform to promote the development of international relations, deliver publicopinion and deepen mutual trust, as well as to push forward the progress of the Belt andRoad Initiative.”
The Media Cooperation Forum on the Belt and Road, which is hosted by People’s Daily,has been held each year since 2014. It is the media forum with the greatest number ofparticipants from various countries and foreign media organizations held by a Chinesemedia group in recent years.