China-Russia internet media consensus

On May 8, 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced 2016-2017 as "Year of China-Russia Media Communication".

Media from both countries will carry out exchanges and cooperation in 10 fields, including policy exchange, mutual coverage, mega-events, joint production, publication and distribution, etc, pushing forward the cultural cooperation between both nations to a higher level.

Today, in the crisp autumn, China's and Russia's mainstream online media companies, most influential internet media organizations, delegates from related organizations, specialist and scholars meet in Guangzhou, an important harbor on the Silk Road, to discuss development and innovation, opportunities and challenges faced by the two countries' internet media. The forum has achieved fruitful results through communication and discussion. The forum reached a consensus on these points:

1. Highlight the increasingly important role of internet and new technology in information transmission

In today's world, internet technology is developing rapidly and internet is now part and parcel of everybody's life. It has transformed the global economic system, people's interests and security. Information online spreads with lightning speed, its scope is large and its influence is unprecedented in the history of human communication.

Chinese and Russian internet media should meet the challenges of new situation and technologies, actively innovate concepts, content, technique, application and form, make full use of the latest technological achievements, provide news products that are closer to people's daily lives and are interactive, readable, attractive and appealing, to fulfill people's need in the two countries.

2. Establish a long-term cooperation mechanism, expand the dimension of communication and cooperation between China and Russia

Chinese and Russian internet media should establish a long-term mechanism of communication and cooperation, expand ties through multiple ways, such as contacts on a regular basis, content exchange, joint interviews, joint seminars and tech projects, so they can share resources and complement each other's advantages and push forward the establishment of an open, inclusive and new order of international news and information spread.

3. Strengthen technical cooperation and communication, maintain international cyberspace security order

Under the framework of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, the two countries will further cooperate on information and cyberspace. Chinese and Russian internet media will uphold the principle of respecting cyber sovereignty and jointly safeguard international cyberspace order, stick to the concept of working together, trusting, benefiting and communicating with each other, jointly set up a peaceful, safe, open, cooperative community of common destiny in cyberspace, take part in building a multilateral, democratic, transparent mechanism of international internet that are shared and governed by all, further improve the opening-up level and connotation of the two sides' internet and mobile internet, strengthen research and development cooperation and technical assistance on big data collection and application, cloud computing and virtual reality, so as to let more countries and people share the fruits of internet development.

4. Create conditions to strengthen communication between youth talents from both countries and improve their professionalism

China-Russia internet media will push forward communication between youth talents, promote joint projects and enhance mutual learning of their media professionals to build the foundation for media cooperation. By sharing think tank resources, including specialists, scholars and media professionals based on the cooperation project, the two countries can combine their communication power and enhance their internet media's strengths and competitiveness.

Even mountains and seas cannot keep people with common aspirations away. Let us join hands to seek common points while reserving differences and make objective, fair voices sound with a more confident and more open attitude. In the all-media era, where traditional media and new media are undergoing deep convergence, China-Russia internet media will carry out practical cooperation at a higher level, push forward mutual learning and expand the new channel and new space for information communication, so as to build a bridge for the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership, to make positive contributions to building a more diverse and a more balanced world media order.

October 29, 2016

Guangzhou, China