Guo Weimin, vice minister of the State Council Information Office of China, addressed the opening ceremony of the 2019 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum held in Beijing on Tuesday.

Guo Weimin, vice minister of the State Council Information Office of China, addresses the 2019 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum in Beijing on May 14, 2019. [Photo by Wu Xiaoshan/China SCIO]

"Linked by mountains and rivers, China and ASEAN nations share great similarities in culture," Guo said. "Our friendly interactions go a long way back. We are close friends, good neighbors and great partners."

Highlighting 2019 as the China-ASEAN Year of Media Exchanges, Guo said China would like to deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade, connectivity, technological innovation, and cultural exchanges in particular, under the guidance of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, and further promote bilateral media cooperation and people-to-people ties.

At the forum with a theme of "New Trends, New Cooperation, New Future," participants exchanged views on how Chinese and ASEAN media outlets should actively adapt to new technologies, promote cooperation, and explore innovative ways to better report stories on achievements of win-win cooperation and strengthening people-to-people ties.

Over 200 people attended the event, including government officials, ambassadors, international organization representatives, as well as professionals from nearly 60 media outlets.

The forum was organized by China International Publishing Group, the Mission of the People's Republic of China to ASEAN, and the ASEAN-China Center.