Pakistan, China agree on joint media cooperation against fake news
Pakistan and China on Thursday agreed to further enhance ties and joint broadcasting projects between their state broadcasters to tackle fake news and disinformation, Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership rooted in mutual trust, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity. Over the decades, ties have expanded across different sectors, including trade, energy, infrastructure, and media collaboration, with initiatives like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) symbolising a shared vision for development.
The government as well as the military have previously warned about “fake news and propaganda” proliferating on social media, with Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry saying that not enough was being done against “digital terrorism” under the law.
The decision was made during a meeting in Beijing between Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Cao Shumin, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister and Party Secretary of the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).
“Both leaders also agreed on a joint narrative against fake news and emphasised technical training and institutional collaboration,” the report said. “They described the ongoing partnership in the media as a reflection of mutual trust and longstanding friendship.”
It added that the two sides also held talks related to a proposed agreement between China Central Television (CCTV) and Pakistan Television (PTV) to promote the exchange of information and cooperation.
The information minister said Pakistan was ready to translate bilateral media cooperation into practical steps and that state-run media entities — PTV, Radio Pakistan and Associated Press of Pakistan — were playing a crucial role in communicating stories of China’s development, the Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC, cultural ties, and bilateral cooperation to the people of both countries.
Per the report, Tarar said PTV was building intellectual and cultural bridges between the two nations by broadcasting Chinese programmes, documentaries and news reports in Urdu.
He said APP’s “China News Service” had crossed a significant milestone in effectively conveying Pakistan’s narrative to Chinese readers.
Referring to the recent Pakistan-India tensions, the information minister said the youth of China and Pakistan expressed strong solidarity with each other, which went viral on social media.
The meeting also discussed exchange visits of digital influencers from both Pakistan and China. Tarar said in the digital age, exchanges between influencers and social media representatives of both countries can inject new energy into bilateral relations.
Shumin said China considered Pakistan a trustworthy partner. “Media organisations of Pakistan and China can come closer through the exchange of experiences,” she was quoted as saying in the report.
Both sides agreed that media, culture, and people-to-people relations can introduce new dimensions to the Pakistan-China friendship, and these efforts will be further strengthened under a joint strategy.
In February, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong said, “We are ready to expand cooperation with Pakistan in education, media, think tanks, youth exchanges, and the film and television industries, to foster mutual learning between civilisations and strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties.”