China and Russia should increase exchanges among their
mainstream media, China's top media official said in Beijing
Thursday.
Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said China and Russia had,
over the past few years, conducted fruitful cooperation in the
coverage of current events.
Exchanges among the news media of the two countries had helped
deepen mutual understanding, Liu acknowledged.
Liu, a member of the Political Bureau and Secretariat of the CPC
Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with a
delegation of mainstream media from Russia in the Great Hall of the
People in Beijing.
The delegation consisted of senior members from eight
influential news organizations in Russia, including Vladimir Kuchko
from Itar-Tass news agency, Vladimir Mamontov from Izvestia
newspaper, Renat Abdullin from Interfax news agency, Andrei
Iliashenko from RIA-Novosti news agency, Georgy Bovt from
Profil magazine, Svetlana Kolosova from Channel One TV
station, Sergey Kurokhtin from Mayak radio station and Yuri
Koveshnikov from Rossiskaya Gazeta newspaper.
Their visit constitutes one of the major events in the "Year of
Russia" activities that President Hu Jintao and President Vladimir
Putin jointly launched in Beijing in March.
The group arrived here Wednesday for a five-day visit to China
as guest of the Information Office under the State Council, or the
Chinese central government.
They have held meetings with ranking government officials and
state-owned company executives in Beijing.
Members of the Russian delegation expressed the wish to
experience the "real China." They also hope to explore new ways and
channels for expanding news cooperation with China.
The delegation will also travel to Chengdu, capital of southwest
China's Sichuan Province.
They said China's achievements in reform and opening the country
to the outside world had drawn increasing interest from the Russian
media.
Liu expressed the wish that the Russian media leaders would gain
a deeper understanding of China and experience the friendship of
the Chinese people.
In reply to questions from the Russian delegation, Liu said
Chinese leaders and government placed great importance on the "Year
of China" activities to be held in Russia next year. He was
confident that the event would be as successful as the on-going
Russia Year held in China.
Cai Wu, head of the Information Office under the State Council,
and Russian Ambassador to China Sergey Razov were also present at
the meeting.
(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2006)
