ST PETERSBURG: Xinhua News Agency president Fu Hua attends the 19th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) in St Petersburg, Russia, June 19, 2025. - Photo: Xinhua / Cao Yang
ST PETERSBURG (XINHUA): The 19th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) kicked off in St Petersburg on Thursday (June 19).
During the two-day event, representatives of member news agencies held in-depth discussions on how news agencies can respond to global changes and technological challenges.
Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to the Russian president, read out Russian President Vladimir Putin's congratulatory letter to the conference at the opening ceremony. Putin noted that currently, objective and timely information is vital for enhancing mutual trust and understanding among countries and their peoples.
As the world's largest alliance of news agencies, OANA has long played a significant role in global news dissemination. Putin hoped this conference, through constructive exchanges, would explore and formulate promising cooperation projects, pushing mutually beneficial cooperation to a new level.
In his opening remarks, Xinhua News Agency president Fu Hua pointed out that the Asia-Pacific region is the locomotive driving economic globalisation, the hub of world economic growth, the anchor of global development and stability, and a highland for cooperation, with an important role in addressing global challenges.
Xinhua calls on news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region to join hands to enhance mutual trust, advocate inclusiveness, promote cooperation, and contribute to win-win outcomes, Fu said.
Fu said that Xinhua will earnestly perform its duties, deepen partnership with member organisations, and establish and utilise multilateral mechanisms like the World Media Summit, the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum and the China-Central Asia News Agency Forum to jointly write a new chapter in news agencies' exchange and development.
Andrey Kondrashov, director general of Russia's TASS news agency, said that the world is in a critical period of profound transformation and information environment transition, with cyber threats and disinformation testing the public trust in media.
In-depth exchanges and cooperation among Asia-Pacific news agencies, along with joint exploration of new technologies such as AI and big data to drive media industry transformation, will not only bolster their own development but also hold significant importance for safeguarding regional and global security and prosperity, he added.
Melissa Fleming, UN under-secretary-general for global communications, said in a video address that the current world is volatile, and news organisations and practitioners are facing multiple severe challenges, making strengthened media dialogue and exchanges particularly crucial.
She expressed her hope that while abiding by journalistic ethics, media outlets around the world can provide global audiences with more valuable and positive news information.
Vu Viet Trang, general director of Vietnam News Agency, told Xinhua that the world is changing rapidly, with technological transformation advancing at an unprecedented pace. As important sources of information, news agencies need to enhance efficiency of information delivery through technological innovation while ensuring the accurate and timely transmission of information, she said.
The Asia-Pacific region is playing an increasingly prominent role on the international stage, and regional news agencies should voice more strongly on regional and international issues, she said, noting that this is the common mission shouldered by news agencies in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dzhaldinov Askar Muratovich, deputy director of the Kazakhstan President's TV and Radio Complex, said as global news media face multiple common challenges, cooperation and exchanges offer opportunities to tackle these challenges. News organisations should not only fulfil their responsibilities in information dissemination, but also actively influence social development and policymaking, he added.
During the conference, the delegates visited an OANA photo exhibition, where Xinhua News Agency's photographic works were on display.
OANA consists of 41 news agencies from 33 countries and has its origin in the Organization of Asian News Agencies established in Thailand in December 1961.
