Islamabad, Sept. 25: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb assured that the government will encourage and support media collaboration between Pakistan and China to further strengthen the two countries’ socio-economic partnership. The collaboration at the media-level is highly important at a time when the two sides are actively engaged in implementing the strategic economic project, the CPEC, she said on occasion of signing a news exchange agreement between China’s influential newspaper Global Times/Worldwide Web and a Pakistani news agency. The agreement was signed in Beijing between the two media House by their respective heads. The Minister said, media’s support is imperative to turn the CPEC into reality. She hoped that the media of the two countries will continue play a pro-active role in consolidating inter-state relationship and achieving the cherished goals, set through the CPEC and Belt and Road’s initiative. The government, she added was expecting a positive role of media in projecting an environment of trust and understanding at the people-to-people level, so that the future challenges, ensuring a shared destiny, could be well-achieved. The Minister said, the news exchange agreement between the local leading news agency INP and Global Times of China, is a very propitious development. The government fully supports the mutually agreed arrangement between the two media organizations which, she said is in line with the policies of the two governments for reinforcing bilateral ties through regular media interactions and collaborative partnership. Marriyum Aurangzeb hoped that this agreement would prove to be yet another mile-stone in the media sector, strengthening the decades' old ever-green brotherly relationship between two countries. The government of Pakistan has an abiding commitment to support and encourage such agreements, she added. She pointed out that the two governments are already enjoying bilateral arrangements to promote mutual exchanges in the field of information and broadcasting. She conveyed her heart-felt greetings to the management of INP and the Global Times for their further timely initiative. Addressing the agreement's signing ceremony, Genteral Manager of Global Times Online Chan Chengbiao said that it was the matter of immense pleasure for them to sign the news exchange agreement with 1st Pakistani news media outlet. This agreement has a great significant and important for them as it will help in promoting the bilateral relationship and pushing forward the CPEC, the flagship project of One Belt One Road, through positive media’s coverage. He hoped that with the help of Pakistan embassy in Beijing, they would have more news exchange agreements with other Pakistan media outlets. Press attaché of Pakistan embassy in Beijing Hina Firdous said on the occasion said that the news exchange agreement is a great initiative from both media outlets to serve their common cause. INP/J/AH