ABU Secretary General Javad Mottaghi welcomed guests to Beijing at the beginning of this year’s Radio Asia conference.

It is the fist time the conference has been held in China, and this year there are over 200 delegates.

The conference brings together radio professionals, government, management and policy makers.

“China has a rich tradition of radio broadcasting serving people across this great country,” said Motthagi.

The conference will address the developments in radio in China. “Radio is holding on in the ever expanding media environment. Radio broadcasters are finding new ways to enrich content and to engage audiences. Radio is everywhere… it’s future is bright,” said Motthagi.

The conference will highlight the need for creativity in programming.

Opening the conference, the Chinese Communications Minister Cai Fuchano said:

“In recent years radio has been important in serving the people economically and socially.

“There is a dramatic transformation of the media now. We want to reach more audience so we need to provide them with comprehensive information and convey to them the right values.

“We need to keep up with the times and we should create innovative concepts and ideas to further improve the progress of radio.

“I hope this conference will help us to press ahead with the success of our industry. By working together we will create a bright future for our industry.

“Chinese media has a mandate to bring Chine to the world. We hope we can make active contributions to radio in this region.”