Media forum opens in Zhejiang province

Zhu said the ties between friendship cities form an important part of countries' international relations.

Strengthening media collaboration and communication is vital for the improvement of people-to-people connections and will lead to more mutual benefits, he said.

Gert Grobler, a senior diplomat from South Africa, said that creating goodwill, mutual respect, understanding and a shared common destiny is imperative in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world.

He said the forum is significant as it allows people "to engage, to discuss, to look at the world through a different lens".

Grobler appealed to members of the media to increase mutual understanding and friendship, not just for today but for future generations.

Lee Dong-geun, director of the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Kwangju Broadcasting Corporation, said that China-ROK exchanges should further expand to culture, art, science and technology, agriculture, and fishing.

"To reach this goal, people in the media sector need to work toward more exchanges and act as guides for the China and ROK governments," Lee said.