CRI听力:54th General Assembly of ABU held in southwest China

The 54th General Assembly of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is being held in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu. 

Media professionals from its member countries are gathered to discuss media exchanges and cooperation in times of uncertainties, exploring strategies to ensure the leading role of the broadcasting media in the future. 

ABU general secretary Javad Mottaghi says China's "Belt and Road Initiative" is the best approach to boost media cooperation and effect change in the world.

"Countries throughout this 'Belt and Road' have different cultures, different traditions, different structure, different population, different economic system. This project could establish and strengthen partnership between them and could be used as the best approach to initiate partnership, which would eventually have impact on peace," says Mottaghi.

The ABU now has more than 270 member organizations from 72 countries, with services covering 3.5 billion people, half the world's population. 

Mottaghi says the sheer size of the Union gives it a unique position within the "Belt and Road" framework.

"And ABU being the biggest broadcasting union in the world and a union that have many members in the countries throughout the 'Belt and Road,' would be able to play a very important role. And for that, we've signed an MOU yesterday and this MOU calls for partnership between ABU and China and other countries in the region to strengthen partnership," says Mottaghi.

The ABU event is being held in Chengdu for the first time and coincides with the 14th Sichuan International Television Festival. 

Participants of the General Assembly have the chance to observe the development of China's broadcasting industry and discuss possible directions for content exchanges.