媒体合作：连接世界的桥梁

当我的上司安排我来中国参加中国—亚太新闻中心的项目时，我对此行的理解是重点写一些有关一带一路倡议（BRI）的报道，比如，通过在该地区建设公路、铁路、港口、机场和桥梁，实现了互联互通。在面对单边主义的威胁时，一带一路倡议促进了贸易交往，维护了多边贸易体系。

通过在中国考察学习，我发现在中国和亚太地区之间还有一座桥——它不会被台风或其他自然灾害损坏；也不存在构成债务陷阱的风险。它是将世界人民连接在一起的桥梁，这座桥梁就是我们——记者，我们应当把在中国看到的一切告诉世界。

消除误解 重建友谊

与世界上其他国家一样，许多菲律宾人对中国也有不同的看法。我曾听过一位菲律宾政府官员这样说，“一些菲律宾人对中国的一切都会产生变态反应。”由于南中国海的争端，菲律宾与中国的外交关系在过去经历了一段艰难的时期。在菲律宾的社交媒体上，经常会让人产生这样一种印象：每当中国帮助菲律宾时，政府放弃对有争议海域的立场就是一个阴谋。

另外，社交媒体上还会经常散布中国游客粗鲁无礼行为的新闻，比如一个中国女孩在马尼拉火车站向一位警察泼洒了一杯“taho”（一种当地的甜品）。最近我在脸书上看到的都是中国人在长滩岛违反景区管理条例的消息。

这些是出现在菲律宾社交媒体上关于中国的最多报道，但是它们对促进菲律宾人民和中国人民之间的关系毫无益处，而且让菲律宾人对中国产生了极其负面的印象。

正如菲律宾驻华大使何塞·罗马纳所说：“争议不能说明一切，它只是整体状况的一部分。”他将南海问题定义为“一个非常有争议的问题”，虽然菲律宾和中国在这一问题上持不同立场，但双方都同意用外交谈判的途径解决。大使还进一步表示，解决这一问题的根本方法就是在讨论协商的同时对其进行管控，不能让它升级成危机。管控分歧极其重要，否则它就可能演变成为区域合作发展的障碍。

2016年罗德里戈·杜特尔特就任菲律宾总统，此后两国关系有了明显改善，因为杜特尔特总统的政策是要与中国恢复友好关系。

搭建中外媒体合作平台

现在双边关系可以分为有争议领域和无争议领域两部分。菲律宾政府和中国政府一方面致力于继续和平解决争端；另一方面则积极推动和加强无争议领域的合作，包括媒体间的合作。

中国与亚太、非洲、拉丁美洲、中东和欧洲等世界各地的媒体都展开了密切合作。中国正在进行的媒体合作项目之一就是由中国公共外交协会负责的中国国际新闻交流中心（CIPCC）项目。

今年，中国—亚太新闻中心共迎来了来自亚太地区15个国家的16名记者。这些国家是阿富汗、巴基斯坦、印度、孟加拉国、尼泊尔、斯里兰卡、马尔代夫、蒙古、斐济、汤加、柬埔寨、老挝、缅甸、马来西亚和菲律宾。此外我们还有34位来自非洲新闻中心（CAPC）项目的同行。

中国国际新闻交流中心的这些项目为外国记者提供了全面、深入了解中国的机会，让我们可以获得关于中国的第一手资料，并且把它们反馈给我们各自的国家。

不可否认的是，中国和亚太以及世界其他地区的媒体合作水平正在不断提高，这也使得其与各国人民之间的交往迈上了一个新台阶。

通过记者进行交流对于打破隔绝和消除相隔数千里国家间的误解将发挥十分关键的作用。现在记者已不仅仅是一种职业，我们身上还肩负着重大的社会责任。

做人文交流的使者

5月，我的上司在亚洲文明对话大会（CDAC）上做的关于新闻交流和媒体合作的发言中提到：新闻交流加深了不同文化和民族共存的理念；合作项目和倡议的新闻强调了包容的价值观和处理问题的原则；不同文化和文明之间对话的新闻有助于增进理解；文化和社会行动计划的新闻对构建包容型的国际社会能够产生积极作用。

通过在中国短短几个月的学习和交流，我对上述观点有了更加深刻的认识。首先，新闻交流加深了不同文化和民族共存的理念。介绍一个国家传统和文化的文章有助于让世界更好地了解这个国家和人民。我认为，如果这类文章能由对该国文化有亲身经历的外国记者撰写，会更有说服力。

陕西省西安市是我到中国考察的第一站。在那里，我不仅看到中国改革开放四十年的成就，同时，也了解了中国对外开放的历史。西安是古丝绸之路的起点，经由这条路，中国与中东和欧洲的商人展开了贸易往来，自那时起，中国就开始向世界开放，同时通过海洋和河流开启了海上贸易，不仅使东西方间的贸易往来更加便利，而且降低了贸易成本。

由此我们可以得出结论，中国在历史上就是一个开放的国家，愿意与世界连接，实现共同繁荣。这也是中国在今天提出一带一路倡议的主导思想。了解中国的这段经历很重要，它有助于人们更好地理解一带一路倡议的意义。

第二，关于合作项目和倡议的报道强调了包容的价值观和处理问题的原则。就如同菲律宾和中国目前的关系，关于促进两国伙伴关系和一带一路合作的文章将为两国增进相互理解，消弭冲突作出贡献。

虽然由于某些争议，菲律宾和中国在外交关系上仍面临着挑战，但两国政府在有合作可能的领域继续保持沟通，没有放过任何合作的机会，比如基础设施建设、媒体和人文交流。在经常散播负面新闻的网络空间，分享这类新闻尤其重要。如果两国政府能够做到互相包容，那么两国人民也应更努力地增进彼此的理解和包容。

第三，不同文化和文明之间对话的新闻有助于增进理解。正如宝莱坞演员阿米尔·汗在五月份举行的亚洲文明对话大会上发言时提出的问题，“你想对世界产生什么样的影响？”

媒体作为强有力的舆论传播工具，在影响读者的思想和认知方面发挥着极其关键的作用。但重要的是，媒体从业人员必须保持清醒的判断能力，不能不加分析地发表那些可能在世界不同文明之间造成误解的新闻。

第四，文化和社会行动计划的新闻对构建包容型的国际社会能够产生积极作用。在社交媒体非常流行的当下，充斥着仇恨的言论或信息可以很容易地发布和散播。在这样的形势下，大力推介有关文化和社会项目合作的文章对于构建一个共享利益和繁荣的国际社会是很有必要的。而且这类新闻报道还能带动旅游业的发展，因为它们会激发起读者对其他国家文化的兴趣，并进而产生亲身体验的愿望。

在中国的这四个月里，我可以做所有我在菲律宾时所做的事情，比如加入天主教教堂的唱诗班等。我大多数的菲律宾朋友对我很享受在中国的生活都感到很惊讶，因为他们以为我只身在外，远离家人和朋友，一定会很孤独。我告诉他们，在中国的生活远远超出了我的预料，结果我的一些朋友也开始买机票飞来中国——这就给了他们一个亲自深度了解这个国家的机会。

综上所述，希望我们在这里所做的工作能够有助于加深国家间的了解，增进各国人民的联系，为亚太地区人民架起一座沟通理解的桥梁。

英文版

China-Asia Pacific media cooperation: Bridging people in the region

By Kris Crismundo  Journalist of Philippine News Agency

When
I received the message from my boss that I am going to China for the
China-Asia Pacific Press Center Program, my understanding of my visit
here is to focus on reporting Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); write
stories on how the Belt and Road Initiative is facilitating in building
roads, railways, seaports, airports, and bridges across the region,
boosting trade and upholding the multilateral trading system amid
threats of unilateralism.

But
the longer I stay in China, I found another kind of bridge – something
that cannot be destroyed by typhoons and other natural calamities;
something that does not pose threat of debt trap. This is the bridge
that connects peoples of the world. This bridge is us, journos,
communicating the stories we found here to the world.

Like
other nations in the world which have different perspective to other
countries, a number of Filipinos also have a different view on China. I
once heard this term from a government official in my country, but he
said “some Filipinos develop this allergy anything about China”.

The
diplomatic ties between the Philippines and China have gone through a
rough patch in the past because of the disputes in the South China Sea.

In
the Philippines’ social media, there is often an impression that when
China does some help to the Philippines, it is a trap for the government
to give up its position in the troubled waters.
News about rude
behavior of Chinese tourists are often being shared in social media such
as the incident of a Chinese girl throwing a cup of ‘taho’ — a local
confectionery — to a police in Manila train station.

Recent news about Chinese tourists being the top ordinance violator in Boracay Island were recently flooding my Facebook feed.

These
are the kinds of stories mostly shared in Philippine social media about
China. However, these do not help in promoting people-to-people
connection among Filipinos and Chinese. This also brings negative
impression about China among Filipinos.

Sad but true, there are more negative stories about China being shared in our local social media.

But
as what the Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta.
Romana, who was a journalist and former Beijing bureau chief for
American media ABC News, said “The disputes do not define everything;
they are only part of the overall picture”.

He
also defined the issue on the South China Sea as “a very contentious
issue”, but both sides agreed to resolve this issue to diplomatic
negotiations even the Philippines and China have different positions on
this matter.

Our
envoy here further said that the basic approach in this issue is to
discuss the disputes, but to manage it so that they will not turn into
crisis. It is also crucial to manage it so that they will not be an
obstacle to the development of areas of cooperation.

The
relationship has improved when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
took office in 2016, when his policy towards China is to renew the
friendship with the giant neighbor.

Our
bilateral relation is divided into areas with disputes and areas with
no disputes. The Philippine and Chinese governments continue to resolve
peacefully their disputes while boosting and strengthening those areas
with no disputes; one of them is media cooperation.

China
has been aggressive with its media cooperation in different parts of
the world – Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and
Europe.

One
of the media cooperation being held by China is under the China Public
Diplomacy Association’s China International Press Communication Center
(CIPCC) program.

My China sojourn this year is because I am part of the China-Asia Pacific Press Center (CAPPC) Program.

For
this year, the CAPPC Program brought together 16 journalists from 15
countries in the Asia Pacific region namely Afghanistan, Pakistan,
India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mongolia, Fiji, Tonga,
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

We also have 34 colleagues from Africa under the China-Africa Press Center (CAPC) Program.

These
programs of the CIPCC provide foreign journalists comprehensive and
in-depth understanding of China. For us to experience this country
firsthand, and tell the story of China back to our countries.

Although, other countries received these kinds of news exchange and media cooperation with different impression.

Despite
those impressions, we cannot deny that the new level of media
cooperation between China and Asia Pacific, as well as other parts of
the world, has brought the connection among our peoples into new
heights.

Communication,
through us – journos – plays a key role in breaking boundaries and
bridging gaps among our nations that are thousand miles apart. Being a
journalist today is not just a media profession. We now also have the
social responsibility towards the community.

Let
me borrow some points that my boss said in her speech during the
Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC) about news exchange
and media cooperation:

We brought our partnerships on news exchange and media cooperation to a new level on the belief:

•That news exchange strengthens the concept of co-existence among cultures and peoples;

•That news about initiatives and projects strengthens the values and principles of tolerance;

•That news about dialogues conducted among various cultures and civilizations fosters understanding;  and

•That
news about cultural and social programs contributes to building
tolerant communities Let me expound on these point by point:

First,
news exchange strengthens the concept of co-existence among cultures
and peoples. Hosting articles about one nation’s tradition and culture
will help in understanding the country better, as well as its people. I
think, it is also best if it is shared by foreign journalists who have
direct experience in the culture and people of the said country.

My
first visit in China was to the ancient city of Xi’an in the Shaanxi
Province. There, I had a background of China’s opening up—not only 40
years ago, but way back to the ancient Silk Road.

Xi’an,
the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, has opened up China to the
world by engaging trade with foreign merchants from Middle East and
Europe.

During
this time, China also opened its seas and rivers for maritime trade,
facilitating trade from the East and West, and also reducing trade cost.

With
this, we can trace from history that China is an open country, willing
to connect the world towards shared prosperity. This is what the
China-led Belt and Road Initiative is all about. This is also a crucial
story to tell to let the world understand more about the Belt and Road
Initiative.

Second,
news about initiatives and projects strengthen the values and
principles of tolerance. Like the current ties between the Philippines
and China, articles about partnership for projects and cooperating for
initiatives promote the values and principles of tolerance.

Despite
the challenges in the diplomatic ties due to some areas of dispute, the
two governments were still able to communicate on areas where they see
opportunities for partnership and cooperation such as infrastructure,
media, and people-to-people cooperation. Sharing this kind of news is
important in a cyberspace where negative stories are often being shared.
If the two governments were able to tolerate each other, it is also
possible that people from the two nations will try harder to understand
and tolerate each other.

Third,
news about dialogues conducted among various cultures and civilizations
foster understanding. As what Bollywood actor Aamir Khan said during a
CDAC forum last May, “What kind of influence do you want to be to the
world?” The media, as a powerful influencer, has crucial role in
influencing the minds of its readers. It is important that media
practitioners remain to be critical, and not just tell stories that
might create misunderstandings among civilizations of the world.

And
fourth, news about cultural and social programs contributes to building
tolerant communities. In this time when hate speech and messages are
very easy to post and share in the social media, informative articles
about cooperation on cultural and social programs are important to
create a community that also shares a common goal of shared benefits and
prosperity. These stories will also promote tourism, as these can spark
the readers’ interest of the country’s culture and let them experience
it firsthand.

In
my four months of stay here in China, I’ve been sharing how I am still
able to do here the things I usually do when I was in the Philippines,
like joining a choir and singing in a Catholic church, among others.
Most of my friends were surprised that it seems I am having a great time
in China despite living alone and being away from family and friends. I
always told them that my life here in China is beyond my expectations.
Then, my friends are starting to find plane tickets to see China – and
also to give themselves the opportunity to see and learn more about this
nation.

With
these beliefs, we hope that the stories we told from here foster
understanding among our nations, strengthening people-to-people
connection, and bridging people in the region.