Guizhou aims to reach out through partnership with international media groups

The upcoming five-year plan of international communication of Guizhou province was released on a Beijing forum on Monday, aiming at promoting Guizhou as a global tourist destination.

The plan was designed by Guizhou provincial government and the Center for International Communication of the China International Publishing Group. It provides strategies on city branding, development of cultural industry, international exchanges from 2016 to 2020.

"Opening up is the only road to development and prosperity, especially for a landlocked province as Guizhou," said Lu Yongzheng, vice-governor of Guizhou. "Therefore, international communication plays a vital role in our work."

Agreements on future cooperation between Guizhou and international media groups Fox Entertainment Group and Cable News Network have been signed during the forum.

Simon Page, vice-president of advertisement, sales and partnerships for Fox Entertainment Group in North Asia, said that the group's National Geographic channel will promote Guizhou to its audience.

Morris Duncan, vice-president of global commercial operations of CNN, said the Great Big Story, an online video network affiliated with CNN, will cooperate with Guizhou to tell more cultural stories in the future.

Located in Southwestern China, Guizhou province is relatively poor in terms of GDP but extremely rich in natural resources and cultural diversity — mountains cover more than 90 percent of the province and out of 56 ethnic groups in China, 54 of them live in the province.