KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 6 — China is well positioned to play a key role in supporting the development of the Global South’s media sector through its advances in artificial intelligence (AI), extensive international media partnerships and commitment to cooperation, according to Wong Chun Wai, chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).
Such cooperation could help media organizations embrace technological changes, strengthen their capabilities and promote a better understanding of China through exchanges and firsthand reporting, Wong told Xinhua in a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur.
Citing Malaysia as an example, Wong noted that the country’s geographical proximity to China and frequent exchanges provide valuable opportunities to benefit from China’s advances in AI technology.
Wong is currently in Beijing attending the 7th World Media Summit, which is being held from Nov. 5 to 9 under the theme “Media in the Intelligent Age: From Consensus to Action.”
Wong expressed hope that the summit would pay greater attention to the practical needs of media organizations in the Global South and promote concrete cooperation in technology applications and capacity building.
Wong said the rapid development of AI is transforming the media industry, creating new opportunities for news organizations while also requiring them to rethink how they operate.
“It’s very easy to buy a tool and put it in your company,” he said, emphasizing the need to consider how AI could fundamentally reshape newsroom operations.
Wong expressed hope that the summit would provide a platform for practical discussions on AI applications and newsroom transformation, enabling media organizations to learn from one another and move forward together.
Recalling his participation in the 6th World Media Summit held in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 2024, Wong said the experience had left him with lasting memories, particularly his visit to Kashgar.
The visit allowed media practitioners to see the region firsthand and compare their experiences with what they had previously read or heard. “When they passed the cotton fields, they saw a lot of machines, machines that were being used to cultivate the cotton,” he said, recalling some participants as saying, “This is the real Xinjiang.”
He said such visits offered valuable opportunities for international journalists to gain a firsthand understanding of China, where rapid development continues to bring new changes even to places they have visited before.
While discussions remain an important part of international media exchanges, Wong urged media organizations to move beyond general commitments and pursue practical cooperation that delivers tangible benefits.
He particularly emphasized the importance of producing accessible, people-centered content that could foster mutual understanding and strengthen people-to-people ties, noting that China remains a very important topic for Malaysia.
“Our audience will be happy, and our reach will be greater if we enlarge our cooperation and focus on people-to-people kind of content: tourism, travel, food, how young people practice their lives in China, how young people spend their time in Malaysia,” he said.
Wong added that China’s rapid development of its creative and cultural industries offers valuable experience for Malaysia as it seeks to expand its own creative sector.
“I watch a lot of Chinese AI drama, short drama, because I want to see the advancement by them…I want to learn how they have done it and how Malaysia could do it as well,” he added.
Wong expressed hope that the 7th World Media Summit would help further strengthen cooperation between Bernama and Xinhua, while encouraging media organizations across the Global South to turn shared ideas into concrete initiatives.(Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
