The 6th China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Media Forum was held in Islamabad today. It was jointly organized by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) and China Economic Net (CEN) in cooperation with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Pakistan.
It is conducted as an annual event in Beijing and Islamabad in alternate years. Due to COVID-19, this year’s forum was held virtually and was themed, “Post-epidemic China-Pakistan Media Cooperation.”
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The forum conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics, including the opportunities for digital media, media as an engine for the high-quality development of CPEC, and China-Pakistan media cooperation.
The forum was moderated by Zoon Ahmed Khan, anchor of China Economic Net, while Chairman Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, was the Chief Guest. Several notable guests addressed the forum, including the ambassadors of both countries.
President and Editor-in-Chief of Economic Daily, Zheng Qingdong, in his welcome address, said that since its launch, the forum contributed a lot towards building a positive public opinion on CPEC. He said that the media of China and Pakistan should take joint actions and form synergies in firmly opposing the negative propaganda against CPEC.
Pakistan-China Institute Executive Director, Mustafa Hyder Sayed, said that last year the institute launched the Rapid Response Information Network (RRIN), which identifies fake news on CPEC and deconstructs them with facts. Moreover, PCI will be publishing, “The Governance of China,” part 2 and part 3 in Urdu, which are authored by President Xi Jinping.
Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, in his keynote speech, said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) achieved significant milestones through joint efforts of the governments, enterprises, and peoples of both countries.
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He said that the first phase of CPEC, which focused on energy and infrastructure projects, has met its successful completion, and now the second phase is set to boost Pak-China cooperation in agriculture and initiate an era of industrialization through the establishment of Special Economic Zones.
He commended the role of the media and said that it has played a very important role in the dissemination of facts on CPEC, which has resulted in CPEC becoming a household name in Pakistan. The 10th JCC on CPEC will be held soon, he announced.
Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong, said that the CPEC plays a significant role in promoting the in-depth development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and high-quality growth of the Belt and Road Initiative. He said that China would strengthen coordination with academia and think-tanks through CPEC.
Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Moin ul Haq, said that in this digital age, the media is playing a pivotal role in bolstering the friendship and solidarity between the peoples of Pakistan and China. He said that the media has rightly guided the public about the true significance of the CPEC project, which has resulted in creating a national consensus on CPEC.
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Chairman of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and Pakistan China Institute, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said that the recently held meeting on Joint Working Group on international coordination has welcomed third party participation in CPEC.
After the speeches, an award ceremony was held in which seven journalists were conferred with the “CPEC Communication Award.” Over 300,000 people in Pakistan and China virtually attended the CPEC Media Forum, including students and scholars, journalists, and academics, policy-makers, think-tanks, and business and opinion leaders.
