Voices from Five Continents Converge in Kunming to Rethink the Role of Media in a Fractured World
The 2025 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, held under the theme of inter-civilizational dialogue, aims to make media a key player in a more humane, inclusive, and shared globalization. The Forum opened on Tuesday, September 16, in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, bringing together over 200 representatives from 87 countries, as well as 165 media outlets and international organizations. The event is part of the "Belt and Road" project launched by China in 2013, with a focus on intercultural dialogue, media cooperation, and reflection on the role of journalists in a world in flux.
A Global Media Hub for Cultural Exchange and Reflection
During the two-day event, this global media hub transformed into a space for cultural exchange, reflection on global governance, and the co-construction of a shared narrative around the Chinese initiative "Belt and Road" (BRI). Organized jointly by People's Daily, the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the Yunnan Provincial Government, the forum this year carried an ambitious theme: "Shared Media Responsibility for Exchanges and Mutual Learning between Civilizations".
Media Cooperation in Service of a Global Vision
The conference brought together 165 media outlets and international institutions, becoming a true crossroads of narratives. Participants unanimously emphasized the fundamental role of media in building a community of destiny for humanity, based on equality, dialogue, inclusivity, and mutual learning.
Since the launch of the BRI in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, this project has become an increasingly influential international public good. At the recent "SCO Plus" summit in Tianjin, Xi also presented the Initiative for Global Governance, proposing Chinese solutions for a more equitable global system. According to the participants, media must now go beyond simple coverage: they must be actors of change, promoters of the Silk Road spirit, and creators of narratives that bring people together and build bridges between nations.
Highlight of the Forum: The Silk Road Global News Awards
A highlight of the forum was the presentation of the second Silk Road Global News Awards, a unique international journalism award dedicated to Belt and Road cooperation. Since its call for applications in April 2024, the competition has attracted nearly 5,000 works from 110 countries. Among the winners were Colin Stevens, editor-in-chief of EU Reporter, who received the Best Reporting Award for "China's Belt & Road: Building Bridges not Walls". Argentine photographers Renato Valentini and Rocío Vellón were recognized for their visual report on CRRC's clean energy trains in Argentina. The Armenian media outlet News.am won the Best Video Award for "In the Book of My Dreams". The documentary "Treasures and Masks", co-produced by Egyptian Television and China Media Group, received the Innovation Award. A total of 58 works from 37 countries were awarded, highlighting the richness and diversity of perspectives around the initiative.
A Decade of Dialogue and Engagement
Since its first edition in 2014, the Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road has brought together over 1,000 media representatives from more than 100 countries. This 2025 edition marks a decade of multilateral journalistic engagement, with the ambition of deepening human connections beyond geographical and political borders.
The program this year also included a main forum, several thematic sub-forums, and a special session titled "10+3 Media Cooperation Forum", bringing together media outlets from China, Japan, and South Korea. But the forum does not stop at speeches. After the debates, participating media outlets are invited to take part in joint reporting activities across Yunnan and other Chinese regions. This is a concrete way to share experiences on the ground, create cross-narratives, and anchor cooperation in the daily reality of peoples.
A Symbolic Conclusion
Another notable fact is the release of an official forum song, whose refrain excerpt says: "The great river flows with unbridled force, opening vast horizons on its passage". A poetic symbol that well translates the momentum that this forum seeks to give: that of a fluid, irresistible, and future-oriented dialogue. The first day of the forum concluded with a shared willingness to continue exchanges and collaborations between media outlets, and participants emphasized the importance of the media's role in maintaining intercultural dialogue and disseminating reliable information, stressing that these exchanges must be long-term.
In a sometimes fragmented information landscape, the forum also attempts to remind us that the true power of media lies in their ability to create connections, bring people together through narratives, images, and emotions.
