By Teodoro Raul
Vice President of National College of Journalism Graduates, Mexico
On behalf of Mexico’s National College of Journalism Graduates, and alongside Ms. Eva Joaquina, President of the Federation of Mexican Journalists, we attend the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum, representing the broadest consensus within Mexico’s journalism community.
It must be emphasized that the formation of our Mexican delegation was made possible through persistent advocacy for unity within our profession. Our mission is to advance the urgent tasks currently facing the Mexican press, which include defending the invaluable press freedom, promoting professional training, advancing legislative agendas that align with industry needs, and strengthening protections for journalists’ rights.
The relationship between Mexican journalism and the All-China Journalists Association dates back to the 1970s. The first contact was made under the leadership of Teodoro Rentería Arróyave during his first term as president of the Club Primera Plana. Several years later, during his second term, Rentería formally established the Federation of Mexican Journalists to integrate professional journalism groups from various states with shared objectives.
It is on this historical foundation that Mexico is now able to participate in the Belt and Road Journalists Forum. Furthermore, thanks to the exchange agreements between Mexican and Chinese journalism organizations, many of our colleagues have had the opportunity to visit China and witness the reality of this great Asian nation with their own eyes.
We have visited China on multiple occasions, and each trip has allowed us to delight in the nation’s comprehensive developmental achievements. However, misconceptions about the Belt and Road Initiative persist in the West, underscoring the need for media engagement to interpret and promote the initiative.
During our current visit, we have published six feature articles on the website of the National College of Journalism Graduates to share some of our experiences and observations of China’s development miracle, and our understanding of its unique characteristics. The Mexican delegation has consistently maintained a stance of respect for the Chinese people and our hosts. Each visit has provided a valuable opportunity to travel across China and deepen our understanding. In the past, we have visited some cities like Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi’an, and Wuhan, which have completed their comprehensive modernization transformation. On this trip, however, we have come to understand another dimension of China’s development by visiting an emerging development region, Jiangxi Province.
During this visit, we have witnessed the achievements of China’s medium and long-term planning — a testament to the profound progress in social development. Public trust in the government, heightened environmental awareness, and widely accessible modernization have collectively enabled China to eradicate extreme poverty and establish a lasting social welfare legacy that benefits countless households and future generations.
In several interviews, we have been asked how China can break through the West’s information barriers and the negative narrative from the United States. We have consistently emphasized for several years that although the vision of fully open and integrated digital frontiers is still far from reality, it is a future that we must hope for. As long as those groups that divide the world and pursue power imbalances continue to restrict universal access to social networks, younger generations in both Eastern and Western societies—who rely primarily on social media for information—will remain susceptible to manipulation. True globalization cannot be achieved under such digital blockades, since people worldwide now depend on these platforms for communication and information.
Nations and their governments must define the boundaries for the use of personal data to prevent its malicious exploitation by various services. Simultaneously, a borderless system of connectivity should be built for human society. At the 2024 Belt and Road Journalists Forum, we emphasized the need to take the first step in breaking digital blockades. This year, amid the convening of this Forum, China has an opportunity to enhance global understanding of its true narrative by taking the initiative to break down digital barriers. According to the latest figures, the United States has invested $1.6 billion in fueling negative perceptions toward China.
Furthermore, we believe China could establish a financing mechanism tailored to journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in doing so, seize opportunities for itself. The press in most countries in our region faces pervasive challenges, including security threats, economic violence, censorship, political persecution, and legislative attempts to manipulate the journalism sector. In these nations, local journalists lack the technical resources and training required to address such issues. In this context, China can play a crucial role in helping these journalists break free from the shackles of commercial media.
We propose the establishment of a financing mechanism, perhaps in the form of zero-interest loans, that would provide sustained funding to a select number of journalists in each country through professional associations. China possesses the resources of high-tech enterprises that Latin American media professionals need. A series of advertising exchange agreements with partner brands could be signed, forming a contract to disseminate a true image of China. After receiving equipment and technical training, the beneficiaries would commit to repaying the costs within a reasonable timeframe. This mechanism should not be bound by ideology but should be firmly committed to two obligations: debunking disinformation about China and communicating an authentic picture of Chinese society.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the organizers of the Belt and Road Journalists Forum. We hope that these proposals will resonate with China’s opening-up policy in the new era and help promote the realization of true globalization.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.