The Belt and Road Journalists Network and its first presidium were founded at the 2019 Belt and Road Journalists Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

The BRJN, a platform for exchanges and cooperation, was jointly initiated by the All-China Journalists Association and other journalist groups in the countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The purpose of the BRJN is to promote the Silk Road spirit of "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefit and win-win results", to deepen exchanges and cooperation with journalist groups in the countries and regions involved in the BRI and to facilitate friendly people-to-people exchanges between different countries.

Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the rapid development of information technology and new media has changed the media landscape and modes of communication, making exchanges and cooperation between journalist organizations more important.

Jiang said he hoped journalist organizations from various countries and regions will guide the public to learn about each other objectively and rationally, and deliver positive energy for exchanges and cooperation between countries in all fields.

The first presidium is composed of the heads of journalists associations and unions from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Argentina and Nigeria. Their term in office will last five years.

The position of chairperson of the presidium will rotate among the members on an annual basis.

Lidia Irma Fagale, president of the Union of Journalists of Buenos Aires, was named the first chairwoman of BRJN.

More than 60 heads of journalist organizations from over 50 countries and regions attended the forum, which was organized by the ACJA with the theme of "promoting news cooperation and sharing the spirit of the Belt and Road".

Fagale said the world is divisive, contradictory and full of conflict, and it needs journalists to take part in global media platforms like the BRJN and act as communicators to promote understanding between cultures.

She said the network should work together to address the challenges of society and to counter some negative developments globally.

Shanaka Maliyadda, a member of the executive committee of the Sri Lanka China Journalists Forum and director of Shalya Total Solution, a provider of television content, said the network and journalists' cooperation will unite all countries involved in the BRI and promote exchanges.

"ACJA is also helping us with media development in many aspects," he said.

"We also help the public in Sri Lanka understand what China is doing."