AKP Guangdong (China), September 5, 2026 --

Media leaders from across the Asia-Pacific gathered in Shenzhen, China’s Guangdong Province, have called for closer collaboration and cooperation as the region becomes increasingly interconnected to ensure for shared sustainable developments in the region.

Over 400 delegates from 42 countries and regions, including representatives from more than 200 mainstream media organisations, think tanks, embassies and consulates, UN agencies and international organisations gathered in the Asia-Pacific Media Forum hosted in Shenzhen, the city in Guangdong Province.

The gathering seeks to establish a regional media partnership programme aimed at promoting mutually beneficial cooperation among media organisations and creating a broader platform for professional exchanges and collaboration.

This forum has provided a valuable platform for us to pool our wisdom and build consensus on cooperation, said Mr. Lyu Yansong, Editor-In-Chief of China's Xinhua News Agency.

“Moving forward hand-in-hand, we will surely tell a vivid story of mutual support within the Asia-Pacific family, making new and greater contributions to the steady, sustained growth of Asia-Pacific cooperation,” he said.

Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, opened the gathering via video link, stressing the importance of the forum allowing all relevant parties in the region in finding ways to build a healthier and better-informed public debate, and to drive the change the world so desperately needs.

“Audiences around the world are seeking solutions, and they are crying out for ethical, professional journalism that they can trust, a press that acts with integrity, a press that stands up for the vulnerable and that delivers facts that break through the noise,” she said.

H.E. Prak Thaveak Amida, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Information of the Kingdom of Cambodia, viewed the forum as a valuable platform for media leaders, government representatives, think tanks, business leaders and other stakeholders to exchange perspectives on our shared regional future.

“We believe that an informed society, supported by professional and responsible media, is an important foundation for inclusive development and constructive regional cooperation,” he said at the plenary session of the forum.

Xinhua, a co-host of the event, is one of 16 founding Asia-Pacific Media Partnership Organising Committee for conducting consultations on its rules of procedure and the activities to be implemented under the framework.

Cambodia is represented by the Agence Kampuchea Presses (AKP), under the Ministry of Information, on the organising committee.

The Shenzhen Consensus was launched at the forum. It is a broad agreement on advancing open cooperation, accelerating digital, intelligent and green development, and strengthening collaboration among media organisations across the region.

The consensus also underscored a shared commitment to supporting multilateral trade, expanding artificial intelligence-driven solutions, fostering intercultural dialogue and advancing prosperity across the Asia-Pacific.

From Sept. 3 to 4, the forum held four sub-forums in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai, and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, giving international media, university lecturers, and researchers a glimpse of China’s high-quality development.

By Chea Vannak