The BRICS Seminar on Governance & Cultural Exchange Forum is held in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province from March 30 to 31. The establishment of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association is considered one of the most significant outcomes of the BRICS event. A total of 19 major media outlets and prestigious think tanks from BRICS countries have joined the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association. Among them are Radar China (Brazil) and the Lula Institute (Brazil), Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper (Russia) and Russian Dream and Chinese Dream Think Tank (Russia), Free Press Journal (India) and the Forum for a New South Asia (India), Independent Media Group (South Africa), the Euro-Asian Social Development Research Institute under the Development Research Center of the State Council of China, China Daily, and China News Service.

In her speech at the event, Janaína Camara, Founder and Chief Editor of Radar China, highlighted the unprecedented challenges and changes the world is currently facing. She said that this prompted the establishment of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association to provide a platform for experts and scholars from BRICS countries to collaborate, communicate, and coordinate effectively. This Association is conducive to promoting mutual understanding between BRICS countries and contributing to global peace and development.

José Ricardo, Co-Chairman & CEO of LIDE China, said that the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association will certainly play a crucial role in realizing the consensus of the BRICS leaders and strengthening mutual understanding and trust among BRICS countries. To achieve a new era of global development, multilateralism and constructive dialogue among nations must be maintained. The BRICS Media & Think Tank Association can help achieve this goal.

Mikhail Morozov, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Trud, has emphasized the crucial role that BRICS countries play in eliminating unilateral dominance in the face of a constantly changing global landscape. Humanitarian cooperation and people-to-people diplomacy demonstrated by the BRICS mechanism, based on the principles of openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefits, are of great significance. The establishment of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association will further enhance constructive communication among BRICS countries.

Yury Tavrovskiy, Director of Russian Dream and Chinese Dream Think Tank, has recognized that many institutions under the BRICS mechanism have fully embraced the “BRICS spirit” and provided valuable information on cooperation among BRICS countries. He said that it is important to establish effective communication and interaction channels that focus on both current issues and long-term goals. He believes that this will enhance the global competitiveness of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association and contribute BRICS wisdom to world development.

R.N. Bhaskar, Consulting Editor with Free Press Journal, emphasized the importance of BRICS media organizations and think tanks in providing accurate information and dispelling false narratives. He emphasized that media outlets and think tanks should provide suggestions not only for their own countries but also for global affairs, so as to promote better development of human society. Using the Silk Road as an example, he suggested that today we should conduct extensive discussions and exchanges on a variety of topics such as trade, education, health, and information in order to make the Silk Road regain vitality today.

Mohammed Saqib, Secretary-General of India China Economic and Cultural Council, stressed the importance and urgency of forming the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association. He urged institutions and organizations of BRICS countries, including civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and media outlets, to collaborate and enhance the BRICS mechanism’s cohesion, oppose hegemony, and promote a multipolar world order.

On behalf of China Daily and the China Watch think tank, Wang Hao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, extended congratulations to the establishment of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association. He emphasized the importance of cooperation among BRICS media organizations to showcase a comprehensive and true portrayal of each BRICS country. He expressed his hope for the Association to promote communication and collaboration among BRICS countries through joint efforts from all its members.

Zhang Mingxin, Editor-in-Chief of China News Service, believes that the media and think tanks play a crucial role in promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilizations. He hopes that the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association can serve as a bridge and bond to consolidate consensus among BRICS countries, reinforce foundations for solidarity and cooperation, promote BRICS development, and deliver the voice of BRICS countries in the international public opinion arena. He also hopes that the Association can dispel misunderstandings about the BRICS mechanism and help promote the high-quality development of BRICS partnerships.

According to Shen Yi, Director of the Center for BRICS Studies at Fudan University, the founding of the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association marked a significant step towards fostering cooperation and strengthening partnerships between the mainstream media organizations and think tanks of BRICS countries. Shen holds that collaboration between think tanks and cultural exchanges can help gather high-end talents from BRICS countries to deliver BRICS voices and contribute BRICS solutions and wisdom for a positive change in global governance.

Aziz Hartley, Editor-in-Chief of the Independent Media Group, expressed his hope that the BRICS Media & Think Tank Association could facilitate the free flow of news and information related to BRICS countries, which could counterbalance the biased and inaccurate news reports produced by some media outlets in other countries. The Association could promote deeper cooperation in media exchanges, mutual visits of journalists and personnel training, and provide more support for its members that have limited media resources, according to Hartley.

The BRICS Media & Think Tank Association brings together mainstream media organizations and influential think tanks from BRICS countries and provides a platform for information exchange and cooperation among them. The Association will carry out cooperative activities such as sharing information, organizing academic discussions and joint reporting activities, and conducting mutual visits. Its objective is to enhance the influence of BRICS countries by promoting interaction and mutual learning among media organizations and think tanks.