PTV Co-Produces ‘Belt and Road’ Special with China, Laos Media

The People’s Television Network (PTV-4) is co-producing a TV special showcasing the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) and the Lao National Television (LNTV).

The program, entitled “Vision into Reality,” will be airing on October 3. It is produced in celebration of the One Belt One Road’s fifth anniversary next month.

Chen Pan, producer of the CGTN’s World Insight, said the show seeks to create a global audience branding among members of the Belt and Road News Alliance.

“Because it’s the 5th year anniversary since China officially proposed the BRI, and we started the planning to see what we can do. And CGTN wants (a) better branding (for the) global audience, so we were thinking of (a) co-production with other int’l media organizations. And we made it happen with the help from Hu Chuqiao from Belt and Road News Alliance which is also a dept of CCTV. We talked to her and we decided to try to have a gathering of its TV members,” Chen said.

The Philippines and Laos, both Southeast Asian countries, were chosen to co-produce the show, based on good investment and cooperation under the BRI.

“We tried to find countries that have good BRI investment and cooperation. The Philippines is one of the best choices since we have a lot of projects launched or about to launch. And it’ll be very news-worthy as we improved our relations since President (Rodrigo) Duterte took office. What’s more (is) his ‘Build, Build, Build’ really echoes with BRI,” Chen said.

CGTN premier TV host Tian Wei will be co-hosting with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar and LNTV’s news anchor Silaphet Souphaksone.

Three guest speakers were also invited to discuss the concrete BRI cooperations and projects. They are Ivan Frank Olea, minister and consul general of the Embassy of the Philippines to China, Lattanamany Khounnivong, vice minister of public works and transport of Laos, and Professor Fu Jun, academic dean of the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University.

As part of the BRI’s people-to-people exchange aspect, various cultural performances from China, Philippines and Laos will be showcased on the TV show.

In Oct. 3, 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the One Belt, One Road Initiative or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century Maritine Silk Road to the world, with a goal of boosting connectivity and cooperation with more than 100 countries and world organizations in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The TV special will be aired on PTV-4 on October 3, 10 p.m.

Aside from China and Laos, it will be also aired in the United States, United Kingdom and Africa as CGTN covers the respective countries.

Click the link for the teaser video of the “Vision into Reality” show: https://youtu.be/XGDN5EvN374 (PNA)