Kang Bing, deputy publisher of China Daily, delivers a keynote speech at the China-Russia Internet Media Forum & China-Russia New Media Youth Leadership Summit being held in Tianhe, Guangzhou city, South China's Guangdong province on Oct 29, 2016. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Kang Bing, deputy publisher of China Daily, in his keynote speech at the forum said: "The exchange between nations through new media has been far beyond the traditional method of cross-cultural communication, entering into a broader space, a wider range of areas and a more profound level."

He said China Daily in recent years has cooperated with Russian media in many areas, including the One Hundred Photographers Focus on China and One Hundred Photographers Focus on Russia projects that were jointly launched by China Daily and Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russian Gazette) and the launch of Russian-language edition of "China Watch" in Russia.

"China Daily, as the country's English-language national daily and a media outlet that plays a major role in global communication, has established a worldwide multi-language communication platform that consists of print editions, websites and new media channels," Kang said.

"The forum will create a harmonious and friendly atmosphere for promoting the Belt and Road Initiatives and the Eurasian Economic Union," Kang added.

Due to achievements made by Guangzhou's Tianhe district in recent years in technological innovation and international exchanges, it was chosen as the venue of the forum, a major event of the 2016-2017 Sino-Russian Media Exchange Year, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2015, according to the organizer of the event.

The forum, whose theme is "development and cooperation between Chinese and Russian internet new media organizations", has brought together more than 150 media representatives, media entrepreneurs, researchers from China and Russia, to discuss development and cooperation, innovation and breakthrough, opportunities and challenges the online media companies in the two countries face.

The forum aims to enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two nations, create an information platform for the Belt and Road countries, enable enterprises to hold dialogues, and further promote development in the cultural, creative and information industries of the two countries.