Daily Times, Xinhua sign bilateral cooperation pact
ISLAMABAD: The Daily Times and Xinhua, Chinese state news agency, signed a bilateral cooperation agreement at a ceremony organised at a local hotel on Saturday.
Under the pact, Xinhua has provided Daily Times an exclusive access to its news as well as pictorial content, in a first-of-its-kind deal by the Chinese official news agency with any of the newspapers in Pakistan.
Chinese Charge d’ Affairs Yao Wen, Daily Times Editor Rashed Rahman, Director of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Branch and Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau of Xinhua News Agency Ju Mengjun, Bureau Chief in Pakistan Zhang Qi, Chinese Embassy First Secretary Du Genqi and Press and Political Officer Liu Yangjun were prominent among the participants.
Charge d’ Affairs Yao Wen told the audience that Pakistan and China enjoyed excellent political and trade relations but media cooperation was an important area where the two countries needed to focus more. He said the people in Pakistan are very eager to learn about their brotherly country like the people in China are keen to learn about Pakistan.
Terming the signing of bilateral cooperation agreement between the two media organisations a landmark development, the charge d’ affairs hoped that the initiative will help consolidate the existing all-weather friendship between the two countries. He said the Chinese embassy was extending all possible help to Pakistani media to develop greater understanding on the issues of mutual interest. He emphasised that media of the two countries should play their due role for strengthening of relations between the two countries by projecting the positive developments.
Daily Times Editor Rashed Rahman said media has become more and more powerful in this fast changing world. However, dominance of the Western media outlets, especially the wire services, in Pakistan has made it very difficult for us to get a balanced picture of the important developments in several parts of the world, including China, he said. Signing of the agreement with Xinhua News Agency will not only provide our readers an opportunity to get a more balanced and realistic picture of China but also will help two countries come closer through better understanding of each other’s issues, he added.
He hoped that the pact will prove to be a harbinger of more media cooperation agreements between the two countries. He stressed the need for frequent journalist interactions between the two countries that, according to him, would help make diplomatic, social and economic bonds stronger.
Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau of Xinhua News Agency Ju Mengjun said his agency delivers instant and quality information from every corner of the world. He said the Xinhua pursues timely, accurate, credible and fair news coverage and is often the first to report China’s major breaking news events. He hoped that agreement between the two media outlets will open up new vistas of cooperation between the two countries besides helping Pakistani people have access to a more realistic and balanced picture.
Xinhua’s Pakistan Bureau Chief Zhang Qi moderated the agreement signing ceremony. The event was followed by lunch, hosted by the charge d’ affairs.
Earlier, Charge d’ Affairs Yao Wen and Daily Times Editor Rashed Rahman held a one-on-one meeting at the Chinese embassy and had a frank and comprehensive discussion on the issues of mutual concern.
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