Chinese official calls for Asia's own 'Facebook,' 'Twitter'

Asian media groups should use technical innovation to enrich their communication channels and have their own versions of Facebook and Twitter to expand the region's influence, a senior Chinese official said Tuesday.

"Compared with Asia's increasingly vital role in the world economy, the influence of Asian media groups on the world stage is very much disproportionate," Cui Yuying, deputy director of the State Council Information Office, said Tuesday at the 5th 10+3 Media Cooperation Forum.

Cui said that more than 80 percent of news comes from major Western media groups while their Asian counterparts, lacking "a strong platform and authoritative status," have to rely on the Western media to obtain information.

The forum, jointly organized by the Beijing-based People's Daily and the Jilin provincial government in northeast China, was themed "Asia's Voice & Values: How Can Media Promote Peace, Harmony & Cooperation."