A cross-Strait media summit was held in Beijing on Thursday, drawing over 110 media chiefs, scholars and representatives from the mainland and the Taiwan region to explore the integrated development of cross-Strait media amid new changes.
The summit, in its fifth edition, featured a main forum and several sub-forums, in which participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as strengthening cross-Strait media cooperation and exchanges, and how mainstream media can uphold core values in the era of artificial intelligence.
Addressing the main forum, Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, pledged to continue promoting cultural exchange and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, including media exchanges, by enhancing policy support and strengthening institutional safeguards.
Chou Hsi-wei, vice chairman of Want Want China, a Taiwan-based enterprise, said that the two sides of the Strait belong to the same family, calling on media professionals from across the Strait to objectively report the facts about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
On Thursday afternoon, Song met with representatives of Taiwan media outlets attending the summit. He expressed the hope that media outlets on both sides of the Strait will actively participate in and promote cross-Strait cultural exchanges, adhere to objective reporting and fair comment, promote integrated development, and contribute to the reunification of the motherland. The representatives from Taiwan, including Tsai Eng-meng, chairman of the Want Want China Times Media Group, agreed that cross-Strait media outlets serve as a bridge for communication and friendship between the compatriots on both sides of the Strait.
They said that during the downturn of cross-Strait relations, it is essential to expand exchanges and cooperation, and enhance the emotional bond and mutual trust between the people on both sides of the Strait, to gradually steer the future development of cross-Strait relations onto the right track.
"In Taiwan region, our aim is to report truthfully, informing our compatriots in Taiwan about the current situation on the mainland, which can help dispel many unnecessary misunderstandings and misconceptions. Through enhanced communication and understanding, the media can effectively play this role," said Huang Shu-te, president of China Times.
Chou Hsi-wei called on the media on both sides of the Strait to share cross-strait development for mutual understanding and benefit.
"Media professionals on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should take responsibility for sharing information about cross-strait development, particularly the progress that the mainland has made in recent years in science and technology, manufacturing, trade, and defense, so that people on both sides can share in this progress," said Chou.
Cross-Strait media representatives explore integrated development in Beijing
