The 2018 Media Leaders Summit for Asia, with its theme of "A New Era of Media Cooperation in Asia-Interconnectivity and Innovative Development", has drawn widespread discussion on issues related to increasing connectivity under media cooperation.

Carrying forward the spirit of the previous Media Leaders Roundtable, those at the media summit are discussing how Asian media organizations can work together to transcend cultural differences and create a new era of cooperation and growth through interconnectivity and innovative development.

Asia is the region of the world with the most vitality and potential for development, said Zhou Shuchun, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily. Zhou said Asian media are a vital force internationally and China's new era will bring more opportunities for the continent and also will help Asian media boost cooperation.

"The Belt and Road Initiative promotes common development, prosperity, and win-win cooperation. The opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative belong to the entire world and the media of Asian countries," Zhou said as he chaired a panel discussion.

Subash Jayawardan, chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini TV Corp, said the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road links China's coastal cities with Africa and Europe through the Indian Ocean, connecting Sri Lanka and re-establishing the country as a new trade center in the Indian Ocean.

"China has already invested $8 billion in Sri Lanka and will invest $24 billion in the future. This was what our Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said during his attendance at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation," Jayawardan said. The forum was held last year.

Shafqat Jalil, director-general of Pakistan Broadcasting Corp, also said China had made monumental achievements in many aspects, including poverty alleviation and improving global connectivity.

Shafqat said the Belt and Road Initiative is unprecedented, creating links among nations and providing necessary infrastructure by laying a foundation for sustainable growth, reducing distances and improving connectivity.

Proposed in May, the Belt and Road Media Cooperation Alliance was one of the fruits of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. At Monday's forum in Sanya, 59 media representatives from China and 31 other countries reached a consensus on jointly promoting the Belt and Road News Cooperation Alliance.

They issued a declaration saying the alliance will further support its media members in conducting joint interviews to cover the Belt and Road Initiative's story and increase mutual recognition of the countries.

The declaration said that news and information cooperation and sharing will be enhanced with a new process whose design is based on respecting and protecting the copyrights of news works. The alliance will provide free media content uploading and sharing services for members.

As one of the sections under this year's Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, the Media Leaders Summit emphasized the role of media in promoting cooperation and globalization. Long Yongtu, former secretary of the Boao Forum, said that media and forums are "natural friends". Long said the forum provides new ideas and new information while the media promotes the influence of the forum and spreads it to the world.

"We hope that the Asian media will take concrete steps to strengthen Asian interconnectivity and make a contribution to globalization, which has become more relevant today," Long said.