FUZHOU, China: The editor-in-chief of Al-Riyadh newspaper, Hani Wafa, has called for stronger, lasting media partnerships among countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative to help promote dialogue and improve coverage of development cooperation.

In a recorded video message played during the opening ceremony of the two-day 2026 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, which concluded on Wednesday, Wafa highlighted the role of journalism in efforts to build mutual understanding and draw attention to opportunities for economic and cultural cooperation.

She also stressed the need for effective partnerships that accurately portray the cooperation between countries, and help news organizations respond to rapid changes in the global media landscape amid growing uncertainty and protectionism.

Al-Riyadh said its participation in the event builds on its involvement in the Belt and Road News Network, and its efforts to strengthen international media ties through exchanges of content and expertise. Proposed during the first Belt and Road Forum in 2017, and launched in Beijing in 2019, the network now has 327 member media organizations in 120 countries.

More than 200 representatives of 182 media organizations from 100 countries gathered at the forum this week, which took place in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province in southeastern China. Beijing has designated the coastal province the core area of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the sea-route component of its Belt and Road Initiative.

Fujian has historical trading links with the Arab world; to the south lies Quanzhou, known to Arab and Persian merchants as Zayton, which is home to Qingjing Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in China dating back to the year 1009.

The forum was organized by the Chinese newspaper People’s Daily and the Fujian provincial government under the theme “Pursuing Common Understandings and Aspirations: A Decade of Belt and Road Media Cooperation.”

It concluded with the adoption of the “Belt and Road Media Cooperation: Fuzhou Initiative,” which calls for joint reporting, journalist exchanges and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Arab News attended the event at the invitation of People’s Daily.