On December 7, the 2025 Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum was held in Yangjiang, Guangdong—a historic stop along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Nearly 300 participants included media representatives from more than 20 countries, international organizations, experts, and cultural and tech-innovation enterprises. The forum provided a platform to explore collaboration along the Belt and Road through discussions and project unveilings.
2025 Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum (Photo: Sun Nan, Zhou Yin)
The event centered on two main themes: emerging trends in media and international project collaboration. Discussions focused on the rise of AI-generated content (AIGC) and its potential to transform global media. Experts from China, Uruguay, and Brazil shared insights on technology trends and cooperation, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents.
Participants at the forum (Photo: Guo Hongda)
Several international media leaders joined via video. Ahmed Nadeem, Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union; Abdulrahim Suleiman, Secretary-General of the Arab States Broadcasting Union; and Gregoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting, praised the forum as a reliable platform for meaningful collaboration. Mr. Maina Muiruri, Chairman of the Kenya Media Council, highlighted the transformative power of digital technology in how information is produced, shared, and received. He emphasized that the Belt and Road initiative can serve as a bridge for media innovation, linking Africa's dynamic markets with China's technological strengths, amplifying diverse voices, and fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Mr. Maina Muiruri, Chairman of the Kenya Media Council, delivers a speech. (Photo: Sun Nan, Zhou Yin)
The summit also launched The Yangjiang Initiative on International Media Cooperation. The initiative calls on members of the Belt and Road Media Community to tell Maritime Silk Road stories, harness technology to enhance dialogue, build a smart media ecosystem, and promote sustainable and collaborative development.
The project showcase highlighted international media initiatives in documentary co-productions, animation, and intangible cultural heritage programs. The "Charming Guangdong" international communication project was presented to promote the province's culture globally, accompanied by a Yangjiang-themed micro-documentary co-produced with partners from France and Malaysia.
Launch ceremony of the international communication project "Charming Guangdong" (Photo: Nanfang Plus)
Founded in 2016, the Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum is the world's first international film and television media alliance built around the "Silk Road" concept and dedicated to full-media cooperation. Jointly established by media organizations across five continents, the community now includes 149 mainstream media outlets and institutions from 64 countries and regions, providing a broad platform for audiovisual exchange and collaboration.
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Reporter | Li Muzi
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
