China, Arab countries seek to forge "Media Silk Road"

09:56, December 13, 2009

"The visit to China left me such a remarkable memory, and I will tell my friends about China' s progress when back home," a senior Egyptian press official said Saturday when wrapping up a tour to China.

Sarwat Mekky, secretary-general of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, headed a delegation of press officials and directors of media organizations from 14 Arab countries. He told Xinhua the delegates hoped to reinforce media cooperation with China.

The delegation, consisting of nearly 30 members from countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar and Syria, ended the week-long China tour Saturday after visiting Shanghai and Beijing.

The Arab countries hoped to establish relevant mechanism of press cooperation with China, so as to create a Silk Road between the two sides' media organizations, Hassan Falha, general director of Lebanon' s Information Ministry said at a seminar Monday with Chinese representatives.

Samir Barhoum, editor-in-chief of The Jordan Times, said he needed to understand more about China as its progress was "beyond his expectation".

Once a foreign reporter to many western countries, Barhoum said the majority of the Arab people didn't knew much about China whereas they were familiar with the scenes of skyscrapers and busy traffic in western countries thanks to the Hollywood blockbusters.

Barhoum said in this case, China should strengthen the publication of its arts, culture and facets of Chinese people' s life in the Arab countries.

When meeting in Beijing with the delegation Tuesday, Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China hoped to lift media cooperation with Arab countries to a new level.

The two sides forged the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in2004, and a forum on China-Arab press cooperation was held in 2008.

When visiting the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination Thursday, delegates said the World Expo next year provided an opportunity for Arab media to advance report son China' s progress.

The Shanghai World Expo could serve as a platform for countries to communicate each other, and be conducive to cultural exchanges between nations, said Xu Wei, spokesman of the Bureau.

In Shanghai, the delegation also took part in public recreational activities in a community of northern Shanghai's Zhabei District.

During the visit in China, the delegation also visited mainstream Chinese media organizations such as People' s Daily Online, the Arabic-language TV channel of China Central Television and Shanghai Media Group.

The delegation paid the visit to China as guests of the State Council Information Office.

Source: Xinhua