The 2025 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road convened close to 200 delegates under the theme, “Shared Media Responsibility for Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations”.
Attendees included journalists and media practitioners from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as representatives from Chinese enterprises.
The two-day event, held on September 16-17, was organized by the People’s Daily in collaboration with the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee.
The primary rallying call was clear: highlighting the media’s role in fostering consensus to promote high-quality Belt and Road Cooperation.
The forum was successfully hosted in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, affectionately dubbed “The Spring City” and “The Flower Capital of China” for its picturesque beauty and colorful ethnic culture.
During the forum, the second Silk Road Global News Awards were announced.
Nigerian journalist and publisher of the Daybreak Newspaper, Dr. Austin Maho emerged winner of the award for his article “Fake news and the challenges of Reporting China”.
The article, published in 2024, deeply explored how fake news affects objective reporting of BRI projects in Africa.
Kenya’s Lali Mwamaka Sharifu, an intern doctor at Henan University of Chinese Medicine also won an award.
The awards hosted by the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) and organized by the People’s Daily, celebrate media works related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
As of September 2025, BRNN had 308 members in 114 countries.
People’s Daily Editor-in-Chief, Chen Jianwen made a powerful rallying call, urging the media to stand on the right side of history, stressing the importance of mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges.
He lauded media experts for telling BRI stories and promoting Silk Road Projects.
Jianwen further emphasized new opportunities for global development, inclusivity, peace, and shared benefits through deepening collaboration.
Fan Yuan, Group Deputy Editor in Chief and CGTN EIC, asserted that, “BRI is vital and inspiring and China Media Group is ready to work with global media,” proposing a mission rooted in embracing peace, development, harmony among civilizations, and the deep integration of culture and humanity.
This sentiment reflected the refreshing evolution of BRI from concept to action and heartfelt connections.
Providing a historical context for media’s power, Siyavuya Mzantsi, Editor in Chief of the Cape Times, South Africa, reminded the audience that it was the media that exposed Apartheid and other atrocities committed against Black people.
Ultimately, the conference stressed that in a world that is at crossroads, the media must serve as a conveyor of truth and a platform for dialogue.
The key messages emphasized that cooperation, and not confrontation, must prevail, calling on participants to build bridges of understanding that respect individual histories, protect civilization, and ensure a better future for generations to come through promoting cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiatives.
Journalists attending the forum were also treated to an extensive media tour visiting several key thematic areas, such as the Lincang Science Academy Nut Plantation and Laboratory for Nut Testing in Kunming.
Here, the visiting team attentively listened to the history of Lincang’s nut industry, had their taste buds tickled by variously flavoured nut candy and chocolate and had the privilege to sample Lincang tea as well as take some home as souvenirs.
Other sites visited included, a walk through Dali Ancient Town that is home to the Bai Minority group, where journalists sampled its rich cuisine and culture.
The Yunnan Flower base was a site to behold, displaying an unending variety of roses and chrysanthemums and the use of technology in boosting production and quality.
A visit to the Longkan Pier, a most romantic and breathtaking spot for photo taking, tucked on the Erhai lake on the Dali Ecological Corridor wrapped up the trip in Kunming, and off the team left for Beijing.
