Participants at the Asia News Network annual board meeting. Photo of ANN

BEIJING Representatives of 15 news titles in Asia emphasised the need for elevating cooperation to a new level and making Asia's voice heard during the Asia News Network annual board meeting in Beijing on Monday.

The meeting marks the first in-person assembly of the leading regional news alliance in Asia since the Covid-19 pandemic, building new bridges for collaborative efforts among Asian countries and between Asia and the rest of the world.

Representatives explored the possibility of establishing an independent newsroom with reputed professionals to make ANN an independent news source for all its members and for regional and global media in general.

ANN was established in 1999 and its members hail from the 20 Southeast Asian countries as well as several other locations in Asia. It becomes a formal legal entity. 

Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, said in his welcoming remarks that the purpose of the meeting is to deepen ANN cooperation, enhance ANN story exchanges, jointly produce impactful videos, and organize enriching workshops and forums. “These initiatives not only strengthen our ties but also amplify our voices to resonate across Asia, and even globally,” he noted.

He reminded the media in Asia faces common challenges. “We face the daunting task of not just reporting the news, but interpreting it in a way that is relevant, respectful, and resonates with our diverse audiences.”

But the challenges also push us to innovate, to adapt, and to grow, he emphasises.

“We need to understand and know each other better in our own region, and in particular, to mutually share our problems and opportunities. We must also tell the world the creativity and innovation, and most importantly our collective intellectual and cultural heritage that exists in Asia,” said Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of Bangladesh’s The Daily Star.

Anam who is also the incumbent chairman of ANN, highlighted that, as Asian countries being a very important player in the international sphere, Asian media must use the opportunity of the alliance of the leading 22 English dailies to tell Asian story to the world.

In its last edition of Asia-Pacific regional economic outlook, released in May, the International Monetary Fund expected Asia to contribute nearly 70 percent of global growth in 2023, and the growth in the region is projected to accelerate to 4.6 percent this year from 3.8 percent last year.

The challenge of the moment is to turn this network into an efficient and independent news service for its members and the broader Asian market, he said. He urged all participating members to make ANN a more effective network of media collaboration. 

In addition, ANN delegates also attended a captivating cultural heritage exhibition hosted at the China Daily headquarters office in Beijing. The event featured mesmerising tea art performances on-site, exquisite crafts from various ethnic minorities, as well as tea and coffee from Pu’er, in Yunnan, the birthplace of one of the world's most renowned fermented Pu’er tea.

They will participate in the Forum on Cultural Heritage Conservation and make field visits to local businesses in the following two days.- VNS