Media Professionals, Think Tanks' Representatives Explore Cooperation

Kunming, Yunnan, China: Hundreds of media professionals and think tanks' representatives from the developing countries gathered here to explore new avenues of cooperation and strengthen the existing bonds between global south nations at 'Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025'.

Co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Yunnan Committee, and the Yunnan Provincial People's Government, the forum marked the first gathering in China as its first edition was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2024.

Through in-depth dialogue covering the theme,“Empowering Global South, Navigating Global Challenges”, the forum brought together intellectual resources of media, think tanks and beyond to support Global South nations in navigating modern challenges and pursuing modernisation pathways.

The Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025 opened on September 6 in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province. The event gathered around 500 participants from more than 260 media outlets, think tanks, government agencies and international organisations across 110 countries and regions.

The opening session was addressed by Wang Ning, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Yunnan Province Committee; Hu Heping, Executive Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee; Fu Hua, President of Xinhua News Agency; Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary General for Global Communications among others.

“The Global Governance Initiative, recently proposed by China, provides important guidance for the Global South to jointly reform the global governance system,” said Hu Heping, Executive Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee while addressing the opening session.

He expressed optimism that the forum would enhance communication and exchanges among media and think tanks, helping Global South countries strengthen cooperation amid global transformations and jointly build a better future.

President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua, in his speech, said that as China's national news agency and a global news organisation, Xinhua stands ready to work with all parties to tell the stories of how Global South leaders guide and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

He stressed the importance of enhancing research and dissemination of important ideas, and leveraging multilateral exchange mechanisms, to tap into the full potential of discourse, and mobilize driving forces for the development and prosperity of the Global South.

Melissa Fleming, in a video address, called for joint efforts to enhance global sustainability and intercultural exchanges, restore balance to the global information ecosystem, and incorporate integrity into the online public sphere.

A think tank report was also released on the first day of the forum which emphasised the need of new global public intellectual goods to address the world's pressing questions.

The report, titled“Answering the Questions of Our Time, The Global Significance and Practical Value of China's Public Intellectual Goods,” was released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency.

The report noted that global public intellectual goods encompass ideas, rules, and values that are universal, normative, and instructive in global governance and international relations, providing intellectual support and guiding principles for addressing global issues and shaping the international order.

The Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, initiated by Xinhua News Agency, was also launched during the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025.

The first batch of cooperative communication partners consists of more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks and other institutions from 95 countries and regions across the Global South. The network, first proposed by Xinhua in November 2024, is expected to carry out cooperation based on two platforms - the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum and the Global South media news network.

It will hold a series of international and regional meetings, professional seminars, special training sessions, photo exhibitions and other activities. While launching co-creation projects, releasing think tank reports, special columns and initiatives and consensus, the network is built to jointly enhance the combined communication strength and elevate the voice of the Global South, according to the event organisers.

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