Overseas Chinese media urged to promote culture

BEIJING - In a bid to improve the international influence of the Chinese culture, a Chinese culture official has called on Chinese-language media around the world to make greater efforts in promoting the country's culture.

Yu Peng, an official with the Ministry of Culture, made the remarks on behalf of Hou Xianghua, director of the ministry's department in charge of international cultural exchanges, at a forum on this issue on Friday.

The ministry is grateful for and cherishes its good cooperation ties with overseas Chinese media in promoting Chinese culture, and it hopes to carry forward and strengthen such cooperation, Yu said.

The official called on the media to focus more on the country's peaceful development, which, together with the concept of harmony, is an intrinsic part of Chinese culture.

He also expressed the hope that Chinese-language media will not only report on cultural exchanges between China and overseas countries and regions, but also participate in the exchanges.

Moreover, he said culture authorities and overseas Chinese media should work together to meet the challenges of the digital era.

Cultural exchanges have joined political trust and economic and trade cooperation in sustaining the cooperative partnerships between China and other countries.

International cooperation in the culture sector has also been deepened and Chinese culture has become a significant force contributing to the world's cultural diversity, the official said.

The official also noted the increasing presence of Chinese culture, as well as the country's cultural enterprises and products, around the world.

Moreover, cultural exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have become more comprehensive, and played an important role in promoting peaceful development of relatons across the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Representatives of 28 national cultural enterprises and institutions and 95 delegates from 49 Chinese-language TV and communication media organizations from China's Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as foreign countries attended the forum.

Song Guanlin, president of China National Peking Opera Company, said that as the world's second-largest economy, China should further improve its cultural consciousness and confidence in the international arena, and the media should play an important role in bringing China to the world and allowing the world to learn more about China.

Billy Chung, founder and president of U.S-based R&C Media Group, said at the forum that with China's development and increasing prosperity, as well as years of efforts from Chinese-language media, the U.S. audience's curiosity about the Asian country is growing quickly.

Overseas Chinese media are willing to work with domestic culture authorities and organizations to promote Chinese culture around the world, he said.