BEIJING: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today highlighted the role media can play to promote ties between India and China, specially on the positive aspects of the burgeoning relations between the two Asian giants.
Swaraj kicked off her China visit with an address to a media forum, alongside Chinese Information Minister Jiang Jianguo, where she spoke about media's role in promoting "each other's interests and view points."
"This is more so as the media in each county has its own national characteristic," she said in an apparent reference to a largely independent Indian media compared to the state-run media media in China.
Swaraj highlighted the contributions made by ancient scholars, like Xuanzang of China and India's Kumarajiva, in improving ties.
"It is important for us to revive the Xuanzang spirit among Chinese scholars and journalists and Kumarajiva spirit among Indian scholars and journalists," she said.
Jiang, for his part, called on Chinese and Indian media to bear in mind the "dominant direction" of bilateral relations characterised by friendly cooperation.
He also suggested that media in both the countries report more on the flourishing China-India economic and trade ties.
Media organisations in the two countries explore new channels for communication and collaboration such as increasing the exchanges of journalists, articles, and story ideas as well as carrying out joint interviews, he proposed.
"In recent years, China-India relations have seen all-around development. Our mutual strategic trust has been enhanced. Our interests are increasingly interwoven.
"We have established exchange mechanisms such as strategic economic and financial dialogues. Our practical cooperation has expanded into more areas. All these are inseparable from the efforts of the media of our two countries," said Jiang.
Journalists from both the countries interacted on various issues relating to the role of media in improving ties between the two countries during the event.