Media encouraged to tell Bay Area stories

By Willa Wu and Dai Kaiyi in Guangzhou | chinadaily.com.cn
Updated: May 19, 2019
Huang Kunming, member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee political bureau and also head of the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee, gives a speech during the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on May 19, 2019. [Photo by Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

 

GUANGZHOU – Media outlets on Sunday were encouraged to tell the country and world stories of development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Huang Kunming, member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee political bureau, said the Bay Area, an 11-city cluster, has an abundance of stories worth reporting.

Huang made the remarks in Guangzhou at the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area opening ceremony.

Huang Kunming (L), member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee political bureau and head of the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee, shakes hands with Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (R), chief executive of Hong Kong, during the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on May 19, 2019. [Photo by Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

Huang, also head of the CPC Central Committee’s publicity department, encouraged media organizations to tell stories about the Bay Area’s economic development, as well as its diverse and rich culture.

Other leading officials also called on media outlets to deepen collaboration with one another and “think outside the box” in their coverage.

Li Xi, secretary of the Guangdong provincial committee of the CPC, said the media is an important force in boosting people-to-people bonds within the Bay Area.

Li Xi, secretary of the CPC Guangdong provincial committee, gives a speech during the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on May 19, 2019. [Photo by Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

He pledged that the province will provide strong support to the media.

The summit also drew heads from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Hong Kong special administrative region (HKSAR) chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that media outlets in the Bay Area should establish special projects and serve as a communication platform for government authorities, scholars, experts, businesses and the public to exchange ideas and help spur the steady development of the Bay Area.

Wang Zhimin, director of the liaison office of the Central People’s Government in HKSAR, gives a speech during the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on May 19, 2019. [Photo by Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

Macao special administrative region (SAR) secretary for security Wong Sio-chak, who attended the summit on behalf of Macao chief executive Chui Sai-on, called on media in the region to embrace the latest technologies and expand reporting channels to tell stories in a comprehensive and compelling manner to inform the world about the rapidly developing Bay Area.

Echoing Li’s observations on the media, Wang Zhimin, director of the liaison office of the Central People’s Government in HKSAR, said the media should also report the hurdles that hinder the Bay Area development.

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of Hong Kong, gives a speech during the Media Summit of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Guangzhou on May 19, 2019. [Photo by Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

Fu Ziying, Wang’s Macao SAR counterpart, said collaboration among media organizations will maximize the media’s impact on the Bay Area’s progress.

Around 100 media organizations attended Sunday’s summit. Three parallel panel discussions will be held in the afternoon, with themes including media convergence in reporting on the Bay Area and the links between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Bay Area.

After the summit, media organizations from the mainland and the two SARs will embark on different routes Monday to Wednesday to identify Bay Area stories and will visit some leading enterprises in Guangdong.