5th World Media Summit begins in China

Islamabad: The 5th World Media Summit (WMS) kicked off on Sunday in the Guangdong Province of China, with over 450 participants from 101 countries and representatives from nearly 197 mainstream media outlets, think tanks, government agencies, as well as international organizations.

The President of Xinhua News Agency, Fu Hua, said while inaugurating the summit that the theme of the conference is “Boosting Global Confidence, Promoting Media Development.”He said, “The summit will address topics including bolstering media confidence, coping with opportunities and challenges presented by new technologies, exploring new markets in the digital age, and striving for a shared future in global media cooperation and news exchanges among the world’s media outlets.”

“The global media industry is undergoing a significant transformation,” Fu said, citing factors such as technological innovation that is reshaping the industry and the spread of fake news that is challenging journalistic ethics. He proposed establishing a high-level dialogue and cooperation mechanism within the framework of the World Media Summit (WMS). “By engaging in such dialogues, we can inspire one another and promote mutual development,” Fu said. He said, “Media leaders need to work for common prosperity, advocacy for human development, and a bright future for mankind. The media’s role is important in building strong bonds between nations through dialogue and intercultural communication.” The forum discusses media cooperation to tackle pressing challenges facing media in times of technological change and how to counter fake news and disinformation. The heads of major news agencies, including Reuters Head of Agency Sue Brooks, Vice President of the Associated Press (AP) YK Chan, and Michael Mainville, member of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Executive Committee, and AFP Asia-Pacific regional director and Managing Director of APP Muhammad Asim Khichi, are attending the summit.

The ongoing fifth summit hosted by Xinhua will continue from December 2–8 in China’s Guangzhou city of Guangdong Province and Kunming city of Yunnan Province.