Belt and Road cooperation has evolved into a well-received global public good, and international media outlets should jointly tell the stories of the Silk Road to enhance people-to-people bonds, media representatives from various countries said at a forum.

Co-hosted by People's Daily and the People's Government of Fujian province, the 2026 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road opened on Tuesday in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, drawing more than 200 foreign delegates from 182 media outlets and institutions across 100 countries and international organizations.

Hu Heping, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Silk Road spirit has driven fruitful achievements despite rising global instability, injecting new momentum into world peace and development.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, it has transitioned from a Chinese proposal into global action, welcoming a family of 150 countries and 30 international organizations, and yielding more than 4,000 cooperation projects worldwide, Hu said.

He emphasized that these results proved that the BRI aligns with global trends and commands public support, and that global media outlets should continue to spread the Silk Road spirit and actively promote the BRI's contributions to global development.

Yu Shaoliang, president of People's Daily, said that given the diverse development stages and cultures of partner nations, BRI reporting must adopt localized perspectives, empathetic expressions and a global vocabulary to dispel misconceptions and forge closer emotional bonds.

Facing international distractions, the media must maintain an objective stance, delivering truthful coverage to convey a shared desire for prosperity, and leveraging the power of the media to build a global consensus for development synergy.

Pavel Negoitsa, general director of Russia's Rossiyskaya Gazeta, said that over the past 13 years, the BRI has grown into an unparalleled global endeavor in terms of participation, project scope, investment scale and the hope it inspires across continents. He said that amid complex challenges such as trade frictions, the BRI stands as an ambitious, long-term vision that drives the free flow of goods, capital, people, and ideas based on peace, openness, and mutual benefit.

Saadia Shariff, chief marketing officer of Pakistan's Jang Media Group, said the BRI is not merely about trade figures, but a vision that connects people, as exemplified by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan that has brought tangible results.

Abbas Sayed, an Egyptian tour guide who served as an on-site guide for the leaders of China and Egypt and their spouses at the Grand Egyptian Museum in September, said, "Chinese media are genuinely strengthening the emotional bonds between China and different nations, and similarly, as an Egyptian guide, I see myself as an ambassador for cultural exchange between our two peoples."

"I hope to connect with diverse individuals in China so I can convey the real China to the Egyptian people," he said.