Members of the Belt and Road News Network need to jointly crack down on the publication of fake news to prevent misunderstandings, said attendants of the 3rd Council Meeting of the Belt and Road News Network held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Thursday.

Fake news is a serious problem around the world, sowing fear and distrust and destroying entire industries, said Lydia Wang, chief business officer of the Star Media Group in Malaysia.

Sarmad Ali, managing director of Pakistan's Jang Media Group, said the world has seen an increasing number of conflicts since World War II.

"There is a new form of conflict that is affecting our lives every day. This is the conflict or battle of narratives which unfortunately is riddled with misinformation, disinformation and the scourge of fake news," Ali said. "It is focusing on conflict exclusively and mutual differences instead of mutual cooperation."

The Belt and Road News Network meeting, chaired by the People's Daily newspaper, welcomed members of the network to submit outstanding news stories to be considered for the second Silk Road Global News Awards.

The network will honor stories that promote mutual learning between news media organizations in countries and regions that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative — a global development strategy established by China — as well as the mission of the Belt and Road, said Tuo Zhen, publisher of People's Daily, at the council meeting.

The Silk Road Global News Awards are the only international honors offered under the Belt and Road multilateral cooperation framework. The second edition of the awards features four categories: Best Reporting, Best Photography, Best Video and Best Innovation. Each category will have 10 finalists and one grand prize winner.

Reports that support the Belt and Road Initiative, convey the Silk Road spirit, reflect exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, align with the vision of building a global community with a shared future, and make a substantial international impact are eligible for the awards, said Yu Shaoliang, editor-in-chief of People's Daily, at the meeting.

The Belt and Road News Network is a cooperative platform jointly established by media outlets from countries and regions involved in the BRI. Its mission is to boost understanding and form a mechanism for regular collaboration among media outlets.

It has 274 media members from 110 countries, Tuo said.

Over 200 media executives, editors and reporters from 191 organizations across 76 countries and regions involved in the BRI shared insights at the two-day 2024 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, which kicked off on Wednesday in Chengdu and featured the council meeting.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the opening ceremony of the forum.

The forum, themed "Enhance Media Cooperation for Common Development", is conducive to accelerating communication and exchange among media outlets of various countries, enhancing understanding and consensus, and gathering greater strength for the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Li said.

Speaking at the event, Wang Xiaohui, secretary of the CPC's Sichuan provincial committee, said that more than 40 percent of Sichuan's foreign trade is with BRI countries, and over 50 percent of its foreign contracted projects are being carried out in such nations.