CRI听力:China, Russia to Boost Media Cooperation

The China-Russia Media Forum is focusing on how to improve international communication in the era of all media.

Participants will also discuss the media's role in promoting the integration of the two countries' development strategies and boosting new-media exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia.

Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is leading the Chinese delegation at the forum.

He has called for Chinese and Russian media to cooperate more closely to advance the two countries' relations.

"As China-Russia relations have been making great strides, media organizations of both sides should deepen exchanges and center their cooperation on the two countries' major strategic blueprints, initiatives and projects, so as to jointly boost the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and facilitate the integration of China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union framework."

Also attending the forum is a CRI delegation led by Director-general Wang Gengnian.

On the sidelines of the forum, Wang and Dmitry Kiselyov, President of Russia's international news agency Russia Today, have signed a supplement to the cooperation agreement between the two news organizations.

Under the new deal, CRI and Russia Today will deepen cooperation in such areas as program and information exchanges, joint reporting projects and new media development.

During President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia in May, the two countries decided to launch a "China-Russia Media Exchange Year" from 2016 to 2017.

As part of the program, CRI and Russia Today have agreed to launch a joint reporting project in areas covered by China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

Wang Gengnian says it's part of a broader project in China-Russia media cooperation.

"During the 'China-Russia Media Exchange Year', CRI will take the initiative in elevating the media cooperation between the two countries. Topping our agenda will be a round-table meeting of the Media Council, a Silk Road-themed joint reporting project and a new episode of our joint project 'Hello, China'. We hope to demonstrate the concrete results of the bilateral media cooperation through the multi-media platform."

For the past 10 years, CRI has been striving to promote China-Russia cultural exchanges through media cooperation.

It has so far established cooperative partnerships with five state-level media outlets in Russia.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.