For effective bidirectional communication between China and the world, theories and methods of communication are essential. On Aug. 15, a round-table forum held by China Internet Information Centre discussed the approaches and methods of China’s international communication. Experts called for a more active and confident China in information dissemination and emphasized the receiving end of international communication.

Cheng Manli, director of Peking University’s National Institute of Strategic Communication, gave insights into developing a discourse system for international communication. According to Cheng, the community of shared future for mankind offers rich soil for a Chinese discourse system to grow. The community of shared future for mankind, as the framework and the core value of the Chinese discourse system, offers a new mindset for resolving global issues by emphasizing cooperation, development and mutual benefit.

Yang Yujun, dean of the Media and Public Affairs Research Institute at the Communication University of China, stressed the importance of taking the initiative in communicating to both domestic and international audiences. For Yang, one of the good examples is Huawei, whose invitation of foreign media to its facilities and for interviews has saved the company from crisis. “China should actively communicate to the world,” he said, “disseminate impartial and truthful messages before rumors and one-sided opinions take hold.”

The words “impartiality” and “truthful” were used multiple times in Yang’s remark. “Also, be candid about mistakes and weaknesses,” Yang said. “If the messages delivered are one-sided and biased, the audience may subsequently misunderstand or misinterpret the situation.”

Yu Yunquan, vice president of the Research Institute of Contemporary China and the External World, proposed a new path for China’s international communication. While China is rising as a major power, its cherished and celebrated values will also be of interest to the rest of the world. The international community may wish to learn from China’s remarkable growth, and this presents a chance for China to narrate its experience in areas such as poverty alleviation, infrastructure building and technological development to the international community.

For Chu Yin, deputy dean of the Digital Economy Research Institute, the most urgent task for China’s international communication is to clarify the needs of the audience. China needs to pinpoint the other interlocutor, Chu said, otherwise we won’t know if the communication is effective.

However, this might be difficult to achieve. Chu went on by laying out some potential obstacles. First, the international community is not a single entity and the public opinion is highly diverse. Second, Chu pointed out that sometimes the Chinese media doesn’t present its outgoing messages as well as other international media and that it is less competitive in the current media world.

Wang Xiaohui, editorin-chief of China Internet Information Centre, talked about translation and the role of translators. International communication involves multiple procedures and Wang described translation as the last stage of information processing before sending messages out to the world. Translators, therefore, are crucial for cross-cultural understanding. According to Wang, China is hardly lacking good stories thanks to its rich culture. However, this is also the reason why rendering Chinese into another language can be a daunting task. Thus, when rendering Chinese idioms and poems, translators need to be able to appreciate and understand the piece in Chinese and to be aware of its cultural elements.