Editor's note: On Thursday, China Daily and newspaper alliance Asia News Network held the Forum on Cultural Heritage Conservation in Selangor, Malaysia. Co-organized by think tank KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, nearly 200 government officials, senior executives, cultural leaders, researchers and media representatives from across Asia attended the forum, which was themed "Shared Heritage, Shared Future", to discuss ways to jointly preserve cultural heritage and drive sustainable development in the region. Here are highlights of the forum.

Asian media 'an important force' in promoting civilization

China Daily's publisher and editor-in-chief said Asian media members are an important force for promoting the progress of civilization in the region, and serve as a crucial bridge in cultural exchanges.

Qu Yingpu made the remarks at the Forum on Cultural Heritage Conservation in Malaysia on Thursday.

Qu called on the industry to take responsibility for protecting cultural heritage and to collaborate in bringing down barriers for better collective progress.

"We should encourage more people to become involved in the protection of our cultural heritage. We should make our own contribution to the brilliance of Asian civilization in a new era," Qu said.

In his welcoming speech to the forum, Qu highlighted the importance of appreciating and preserving cultural and natural treasures in Asia, a cradle of human civilization that is home to three ancient civilizations — Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and China — and has been the birthplace of numerous vital achievements in human history.

He called for the revitalization and transformation of Asian civilization to infuse it with new vitality and radiance, saying the only way to preserve culture is to "bring it to life", enabling it to enter daily lives.

The media leader suggested using new technology such as virtual reality, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence, to transcend the barriers of time and space, allowing people to "experience cultural heritage up close without the risk of harming it". Qu also proposed promoting research and interpretation of the traditional cultures of Asian countries.

"As Asian media, we should work together to break down cultural barriers, and promote the common progress of Asian civilizations through exchange and mutual learning," he said.

In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, guiding cultural exchanges, mutual learning, and the prosperous development of Asian civilizations. Citing Xi's key remarks, Qu emphasized that the best way to protect a civilization is to "create a modern civilization", and called on the media industry to continue expanding international cultural and humanitarian exchange and cooperation, to provide new support to regional progress.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Asia News Network. As the leader of China Daily, a member of the media alliance, Qu urged his fellow colleagues to strive for a more equitable international communication order and to become "supervisors of Asia's heritage protection".

"We should help establish a new Asian model for the development of cultural heritage and for international cooperation. In this way, we can jointly contribute to fostering a community with a shared future for both Asia and all humanity," Qu said.

"Let's harness the fundamental, profound, and enduring cultural forces of Asia for the development of the region and the building of an Asian community with a shared future," he added.