An opportunity for ASEAN Youth? Censorship in China remains a huge issue – are other ASEAN countries open to new or alternative media?
the huge young population “is why one of
our action lines in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint
states: we seek to enhance the use of and the capability to utilize
new media technologies such as digital broadcasting to promote ASEAN
awareness and identity and facilitating ASEAN media industry
collaborations to showcase ASEAN Member States’ culture, developments
and talents.”
*China and ASEAN embraces new media technology and mutual understanding*
People’s Daily Online, March 24, 2010
In ASEAN member countries, there is a relatively young population –
about half of the 580 million people. The new media – blogging, social
networks, video sharing, podcasting etc – may appeal more to them than
traditional media, according to Ms. Lee Joo Tiang, Assistant Director,
ASEAN Secretariat who attended the fourth high-level and large-scale
China-ASEAN Media Cooperation Seminar held in Beijing on March 24.
Hosted by the People’s Daily, the seminar focuses on the current
development of new Web sites, trends and applications of new media
technology.
Ms. Lee Joo Tiang said that the huge young population “is why one of
our action lines in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint
states: we seek to enhance the use of and the capability to utilize
new media technologies such as digital broadcasting to promote ASEAN
awareness and identity and facilitating ASEAN media industry
collaborations to showcase ASEAN Member States’ culture, developments
and talents.”
She believed with new technology for mobile phones and the internet,
the spread of new media is likely to increase, enhancing greater
interactivity.
Qian Xiaoqian, Vice Minister at the State Council Information Office
of China said in 1994 China began to have access the Internet, and by
end of last year, China’s Internet users had reached 384 million, with
an Internet penetration rate of around 29 percent, exceeding the world
average. At the current pace of development, in the next two to three
years, the number of Chinese Internet users is expected to be more
than 500 million. Among new Internet users in China, 75 percents were
in rural areas, which indicates that China is rapidly bridging the
digital divide urban and rural areas.
He also warned that as developing countries, China and ASEAN members
are facing the serious challenge of those Western developed countries
who use their technological advantage in the Internet field, financial
strengths and talent advantage, seeking the Internet hegemony of
Western culture, ideology, and values.
Xue Hanqin, China’s ambassador to the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) said China and ASEAN countries are all developing
countries. The key to the strategic partnership between China and the
ASEAN lies in in-depth understanding of each other. News media should
play a role in communication and bridging gaps.
She added, recently Lower Mekong countries are suffering from drought.
Some people blamed China for upstream water development in the Mekong,
in fact, southwest China’s Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi are suffering
from severe drought, and millions of people are experiencing enormous
difficulties in drinking water and production. Through the media
reports, this misconception is gradually eliminated.
Noorashidah Aliomar, Information Officer at Information Department of
Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei, said the conventional media now
must adapt to the changes in technology to sustain its existence where
it involves the building of its human resources. This means reporters
and editors must not only be media savvy but also IT literate.
The industry must cope with the cost of building the IT infrastructure
and having to face the ever changing technology. With the
accessibility of information through the various new media channels,
there is an influx of information. The public have a role to choose
and judge the news and information available on the internet. The
media have the responsibility to relay responsible journalism towards
the public.
Ari Santoso, Head of Data Center, Minister of Communication and
Information Technology from Republic of Indonesia, said the trend in
the world since 1994 is to develop information and communication
technology (ICT) to speed up the processes and facilitate once
conventional activities to be conducted electronically. ICT function
as enablers in almost every line of production and every aspect of
human life, even though use in degrees different. For business groups,
ICT will increase production efficiency and help increase business
productivity.
Boualaphanh Thanphilom, editor in chief of PASAXON Newspaper, Ministry
of Information and Culture from Lao PDR, said, in recent years, the
print media in Lao PDR have made all efforts in creating their Web
sites as a new channel of sending messages to the audiences. Now, many
organizations such as National Diseases Prevention, National Disaster
Center and media organization used mobile phone to send SMS to users.
In the same time the electronic media are using the digital and
network technologies such as network radio, network TV to provide
information for the audiences.
Within the working framework of ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation
Committee, China-ASEAN Media Cooperation Seminar, organized by
People’s Daily, has become an important platform for media
organizations from both China and ASEAN countries to communicate and
cooperate.
Through our efforts made in the previous three seminars in 2002, 2004
and 2007, mutual understanding among media organizations from China
and ASEAN countries have been strengthened, news coverage on China and
ASEAN countries have been upgraded, and the China-ASEAN strategic partnership have been promoted.
