Media helps India and China know each other better
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Suhasini Haidar, deputy foreign editor and Prime-Time anchor for CNN-IBN, talked about the role played by Indian media in the cultural and social exchange between China and India at the 2010 India-China Development Forum held by China International Publishing Group in Beijing on March 30. The following are extracts from the interview:
China.org.cn: What is the role played by media in the cultural exchange between India and China?
Suhasini Haidar: I think the media has a very important role to play between India and China. As two rapidly-growing Asian tigers, we have a lot in common in terms of traditional values and the way we do business. But we don't speak the same language. Thus, we don't have as much access to each other's culture as we should have. Take tourism as an example: not enough Indian people come to China and not enough Chinese people visit India. So, there are misunderstandings between the two countries. I think that's why the media has a very important and responsible role in order to stop these misunderstandings getting out of control.
China.org.cn: What did you do to improve the cultural exchange?
Suhasini Haidar: Well, I think the most important thing for a journalist is to verify what they report. Whatever bilateral relations we are reporting should be accurate. I had the pleasure and honor to travel from Beijing to Lhasa on train a few years ago. I did a documentary about the trip and a lot of people there were amused not only about the trip, but also about how beautiful Lhasa was. It's important to carry out exchanges like this. Chinese journalists also should come to India to increase the linkage between the two countries.
China.org.cn: Are there any TV programs about China in India?
Suhasini Haidar: There are always news reports about China in terms of current affairs and tourism. The opportunities to travel to Hainan and the Google controversy in China are big stories in India. We closely watch things happening in China.
China.org.cn: From your experience, what do Indian audiences most want to know about China?
Suhasini Haidar: I think it's how business is done here. China is a role model in the region as it grows even in time of recession. In that sense we'd love to see what China is doing. I don't think the negative things between the two countries are what the Indian people like to concentrate on.
(Editor's Note: CNN-IBN is the biggest and best English TV network in India covering news and some opinions about current affairs.)
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