In brief
Wong Chun Wai, chair of Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, told Xinhua in Beijing that China’s advances in artificial intelligence and extensive media ties could support the Global South’s media industry. He urged the 7th World Media Summit to prioritize concrete collaboration and capacity‑building, drawing on Malaysia’s proximity to China and his earlier experience at the 6th Summit in Xinjiang.
In a press interview held in Beijing the day after the opening of the 7th World Media Summit, Wong Chun Wai, chairman of Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama, said China is best positioned to help the Global South’s media sector adapt to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. The spokesperson for the summit, which runs from 5 to 9 November, stated the event’s theme is "Media in the Intelligent Age: From Consensus to Action."
Wong highlighted that his experience at the 6th World Media Summit in 2024, held in Xinjiang, gave him a “lasting memory” of the region. He recalled visiting Kashgar and seeing the cotton‑fields machine‑operated by large farms, noting that such onsite visits allow journalists to gain a direct understanding of China rather than rely on reports. The comment was made in reference to the rapid industrial change the country has undergone, even in remote areas.
"When they passed the cotton fields, they saw a lot of machines, machines that were being used to cultivate the cotton," Wong remarked, describing the genuine experience of the journalists present.
He said that the Global South’s media organizations could benefit from China’s technological developments, especially those in geographic proximity such as Malaysia. The closer location offers Malaysians “valuable opportunities to benefit from China’s advances in AI technology,” he said, citing the ease of visiting Chinese specialised media labs and AI research facilities.
Wong’s key message focused on the need to move beyond simply buying AI tools, stressing that media firms must rethink how AI could restructure newsroom workflows. He described the change as “very easy to buy a tool and put it in your company” but emphasized that the impact could be far‑reaching.
AI is a central pillar in Wong’s plan for media development. He believes that “the rapid development of AI is transforming the media industry, creating new opportunities for news organizations while also requiring them to rethink how they operate.” By training journalists in AI literacy, he argues, newsrooms in the Global South can more efficiently produce, verify, and distribute content.
Wong urged the world media community to give practical demands of Global South media a larger spotlight during the summit. He called for a platform that would allow the exchange of concrete cooperation in technology applications and capacity building, ensuring that participating agencies can “learn from one another and move forward together.”
He also described the 7th World Media Summit as an ideal forum because of its timing and theme, stating that it would serve as a “convergence point to transform the newsroom fundamentals.” The discussion pointed out that the summit, held in Beijing, would enable direct collaboration with Chinese media partners, especially given Beijing’s policy support for media talent exchange.
While the sitting participants were not named, the interview made clear that the attention of the summit would shift toward partnership models that could serve the sociopolitical realities of the Global South’s media institutions. Wong said that basic AI literacy must be provided to people of the region, a point that reflected his emphasis on education and skill development over mere technological imports.
His remarks have come at a time when information authenticity and journalism training are especially high‑profile in the Global South, with many countries seeking more resilient media ecosystems. The premise that China can contribute to the sector’s resilience remains a point of discussion, as other voices in media circles decry possible security and data privacy concerns. Wong’s own comments explicitly invite cooperation, but do not address those larger international apprehensions.
Because the interview was conducted in the context of the World Media Summit, it carries the Status of an official media statement rather than a policy declaration. Bureauchiefs across participating nations have noted that the meeting will continue to explore transnational journalistic collaboration beyond mere content exchange.
