The 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum was successfully held in Jiangxi Province, China, from 14 July to 20 July 2025, organized by the All-China Journalists Association under the theme “Promoting Civilizational Dialogues and Global Modernization with the Power of Journalists.” The event brought together over 200 senior journalists, media experts, and representatives from more than 120 Belt and Road partner countries.
Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram was invited as a Keynote Speaker and Distinguished Participant. The seven-day forum featured field trips, roundtable conferences and main forum sessions.
During the field trips, Mr. Akram and fellow delegates explored Jiangxi Province’s rich cultural heritage, scientific advancements, ecological innovations, and historical legacy. His itinerary included visits to the Jiangxi Provincial Museum on July 15, where he discussed artifact preservation before traveling to Jiujiang City to review urban development plans, visit Sinopec Jiujiang Company for operational and environmental briefings, and explore ecological restoration at the Yangtze River National Cultural Park. The day concluded with an immersion in local arts, cuisine, and a narrated river cruise through Jiujiang’s cultural district.
On July 16, Mr. Akram began his day at the Jiujiang Tea Market, learning about China’s tea culture and trade, followed by participation in the “Dialogue with the Mayor” activity focused on urban governance. The afternoon featured an inspection of the Shuangxi Park Urban Water Environment Governance Project, where engineers demonstrated innovative solutions for sustainable water management. July 17 took him to the renowned Lushan Mountain area, where he visited the botanical garden to study plant conservation, attended a special performance of intangible cultural heritage at Ruqin Lake, and examined the Songmo Homestay Industry’s rural tourism development model. His final field visit on July 18 brought him to Ganzhou City via high-speed rail to explore the Fushougou Museum, which showcases the region’s cultural relics and developmental history.
Mr. Akram made particularly notable contributions at the China-Latin America Journalists Roundtable on July 18. Focusing on “The Rise of the Global South and New Opportunities for China-Latin America Cooperation,” he drew from Pakistan’s experience with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to emphasize media’s role in fostering South-South cooperation. His proposal for a tripartite media exchange framework involving China, Latin America, and Pakistan addressed challenges of biased infrastructure project reporting and advocated for joint training programs to enhance journalistic objectivity. He further called for collaborative fact-checking initiatives and the establishment of a Belt and Road Media Consortium to promote ethical journalism – proposals that generated significant interest among delegates.
That same day, Mr. Akram also spoke at the seminar “Upholding News Authenticity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” where he examined AI’s profound impact on shaping public perception and its growing influence on the media landscape. His insightful analysis contributed to a meaningful exchange about technology’s evolving role in news dissemination. The panel included distinguished experts from China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, the UK, the USA, Laos, and Nigeria.
The forum’s main sessions on July 19 comprised two significant segments. The morning session, moderated by Mr. Liu Siyang, Executive Vice President of both the Belt and Road Journalists Network (BRJN) and the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA), featured speeches by prominent figures. The afternoon session, titled “International Home of Journalists” and led by Ms. Wu Xu, Secretary General of BRJN and Executive Secretary of ACJA, included an award ceremony, media ambassador speeches, and discussions on civilizational dialogue. This gathering served as a crucial platform for strengthening international media cooperation and cultural exchange within the Belt and Road Initiative framework.
Notable speakers at the event included:
• Mr. Wang Gang, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee
• Mr. He Ping, Member of the BRJN Presidium and President of ACJA
• Mr. Andrei Kryvasheyeu, Rotating President of the BRJN Presidium and President of the Belarusian Union of Journalists
• Ms. Lu Xiaoqing, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Director of its Publicity Department
• Mr. Huang Xizhong, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Ganzhou Municipal Committee
The forum ultimately proved to be a dynamic platform for meaningful exchanges on media cooperation, sustainable development, and cultural dialogue. Participants reaffirmed journalism’s role as a bridge for peace and connectivity, with Mr. Akram’s contributions significantly advancing discussions on Belt and Road media collaboration. The event’s success in promoting cross-cultural understanding has laid strong foundations for future international journalism cooperation.