The "Asia in the News against a Background of Political and Economic Change" sub-forum of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) 2018 was held in Vladivostok, Russia on Sept. 12. Mainstream media representatives from China, Russia, India and other Asian and European countries were in attendance.
Shen Haixiong, President of the China Media Group (CMG), also attended the forum and, according to the participants, the concepts of building a community of a shared future and the Belt and Road Initiative brought the vision and concepts of cooperation in Asian media to a new level. Shen opened his speech by sharing his thoughts over a bar of soap at the hotel where he stayed in Russia.
"A small bar of soap in the hotel made me feel the huge potential of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation," said Shen, sharing his thoughts with the participants.
Soap, no matter the package or the quality, is very rough. But surprisingly, it came from France. And Russian colleagues said the shampoo the hotel provided came from Poland.
Shen Haixiong being interviewed by RT. /CCTV Photo
"The direct distance from Paris to Vladivostok is more than 10,000 kilometers, across the entire Eurasian continent. Regardless of the quality of the soap, the geographic logistics cost is certainly more expensive than Suifenhe in China, which is only 200 kilometers away from here," said Shen.
Shen's experience sparked heated discussions among the participants.
To solve the soap problem, Russia can import soap from China or engage in Sino-Russian joint ventures, and the most fundamental thing is to improve people's quality of life, Shen claimed.
Both sides have reached an agreement: Asian media cooperation should develop in the innovative and integrative context of the new era. Also,long-term cooperation strategies should be developed as cooperation is the basis for transmission.
Although China-Russia relations have maintained a high-level of operation, there is much to be done to expand co-operation between the mainstream media of both countries.