South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Benjamin Takpiny
About 100 media practitioners across the world, including South Sudan are attending the China media exchange program for 2024.
The China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) launched its 2024 media exchange program in Beijing with the attendance of 100 journalists across the world.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about China’s socio-economic development, diplomacy, culture, science, and technology, as well as share their experiences in journalism.
The program includes a series of workshops, media training, and exchanges with Chinese counterparts.
Yu Lei, the CIPCC Director and other CIPCC staff presented the program on Friday, last week to the visiting media representatives during the orientation in Beijing
The four-month program, organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA),will enable international media representatives to get a first-hand experience of China by attending major events, the upcoming annual plenary session of the country’s top lawmaking body.
Yu said that his expectations for the participants is to emphasize the importance of gaining a comprehensive understanding of China beyond what people say and think about China.
He urged the participants to establish contacts and initiate practical cooperation with the Chinese media organizations, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration.
“In promoting practical cooperation between the media from China and developing countries, our program serves as a bridge,” Yu said.
He added that through first-hand experiences, participants can provide authentic reports about China.
Armindo Pereira one of the participants from Angola, said that the training is an opportunity for him and other journalists to gain experience from China.
“I am looking forward to experiencing this experience of getting to know China like I have never had the opportunity. The fact that there are more than a hundred journalists coming from various parts of the world shows the real scale of this event,” he said.
Pereira said that this provides an opportunity to meet professionals from other countries and exchange experiences.
Uaueza Kanguatjivi, a journalist from Namibia said that her expectations for this program are very abundant in the sense that this is the first session since the pandemic with more than 100 people from across the world in attendance.
“When I say from across the world, we are looking at the different groups that have come to this program, to this training program and that is the branches in Africa, the branches in Arabic and in Europe and as well as Asia and the Pacific, so with all of this said, we would be covering major domestic and diplomatic activities, the elections on national conditions and journalism,” Kanguatjivi said.
She said that she is looking really to learn from China’s Belt and Road Initiative and later on take what she has learnt to her home country.
“I will speak for Namibia itself, the Belt and Road Initiative has created roads within Namibia, which connect parts of the country, making it easier for one to travel from the city to the airport, and so there’s a lot of benefits that we gain from China and there’s a lot of benefits that we gain from this experience in itself, there’s a lot of knowledge to gain and there’s a lot to learn,” Kanguatjivi said.
Kanguatjivi added that she is really looking to also experiencing not only the Chinese culture in itself, but experiencing the various cultures from across the world and experiencing people learning from each other. “I also look forward to the two sessions, which is the event held by the NPC in the CPPCC since 1978, I’m looking forward to learning how China’s political system works and learning how a communist party or communist country can have democratic characteristics,” she said.
The CIPCC media exchange program is designed to provide journalists from around the world with a unique opportunity to gain first -hand knowledge of China and its people.
Through a combination of workshops, training sessions, and cultural activities, participants will gain a deeper understanding of China’s history, culture, and current affairs.
In addition to learning about China, participants will also have the opportunity to share their own experiences and perspectives with their Chinese counterparts.
The second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s legislature and highest organ of power, and the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, are set to take place next week.
As both bodies hold their yearly meetings at the same time, they are collectively called the “Two Sessions”.
The advisory body starts its session a day or two earlier than the legislature, in order to hold consultations and make policy recommendations. Provincial, prefecture, and county level sessions are held before the national level meeting.
The sessions are held at the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. CPPCC members include experienced politicians, celebrities, experts and scientists from various areas, as well as representatives of various social groups.
