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ASEAN, China to cooperate in engaging with new media
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Representatives from ministries in charge of information from the 10 ASEAN countries and China attend the opening ceremony of a high level conference on media cooperation in Jakarta on July 23. (JP/Dian Septiari)
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SEAN and China are seeking ways to cooperate in engaging with new media amid the fast spread of information and fake news on the internet, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Huang Xilian has said.
“Now we face new challenges and opportunities in the digital age [with] the new media format. We need to learn how to engage them […] and make sure that the media plays a constructive role to reduce some misunderstandings and promote trust,” he said on the sidelines of the High Level Conference on ASEAN-China Media Cooperation in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.
He said that new media in China was flourishing along with the rapid development of its technology.
“In China we have WeChat. It is very developed and it is playing an increasing role and we have to bring [companies like] them on board, so that they can play a more constructive role,” he said.
With over 1 billion monthly active users and a wide range of functions, WeChat has been described as China’s app for everything. However, it reportedly has also been used for mass surveillance and the censorship of politically sensitive topics in China.
Digital technology in Southeast Asia was also developing fast, Huang said, especially in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, which faced their own challenges on “how to make sure the true messages will be spread".
He said that Tuesday's meeting brought together representatives from ministries in charge of information from the 10 ASEAN countries and China to discuss how to promote cooperation in media, especially in the digital age.
