Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the 5th World Media Summit (WMS) in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, Dec 3, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 5th World Media Summit (WMS) held an opening ceremony Sunday morning in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province.

Themed "Boosting Global Confidence, Promoting Media Development," the 5th WMS has gathered over 450 participants from 101 countries and regions, including representatives of 197 mainstream media outlets, think tanks, government agencies and diplomatic missions to China, and UN agencies and international organizations.

Hu Heping, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in his remarks that the 5th WMS is a grand event for the global media circle, and called on media outlets to stay unbiased, promote mutual learning between civilizations, and deepen pragmatic cooperation to contribute their wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity and building a better world.

Fu Hua, executive chairman of the WMS and president of Xinhua News Agency, called on media outlets in his speech to build consensus and boost confidence in development, uphold objectivity and truth to enhance media's credibility, and deepen exchanges and collaboration to contribute to building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

UN Undersecretary-General Melissa Fleming and other guests also delivered speeches to the ceremony. They agreed that as humanity is facing a lot of global challenges, only by deepening communication and strengthening cooperation can we boost confidence and build a shared future.

A document titled "Joint Statement for the 5th World Media Summit" was released at the opening ceremony and plenary session. During the summit, attendees will hold discussions on human development and security, new technological opportunities and challenges, media and market in the new era and other topics of common concern. They will also visit a number of places in the provinces of Guangdong and Yunnan and hold exchanges.

The event, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency and the provincial governments of Guangdong and Yunnan, runs from Dec 2 to 8 in the cities of Guangzhou and Kunming.

Delegates talk during the opening ceremony of the 5th World Media Summit (WMS) in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, Dec 3, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo taken on Dec 3, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the 5th World Media Summit (WMS) in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province. [Photo/Xinhua]