A delegation of 120 media representatives and experts from 23 countries embarks on a tour of Ningbo in eastern Zhejiang province on Oct 13. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

A delegation of 120 media representatives and experts from 23 countries embarked on a tour of Ningbo in eastern Zhejiang province on Oct 13.

The activity comes as part of the inaugural Zhejiang Media Cooperation and Communication Forum with International Friendship Cities, which opened on Friday afternoon in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang.

The forum, organized by the information office and foreign affairs office of the Zhejiang provincial government, aims to promote pragmatic cooperation and exchange among media outlets from around the world.

In Ningbo, the delegation visited Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge, Fujialu village and Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

While visiting Fujialu village, Zheng Xuanmin(Chinese name), former deputy mayor of Busan, said that those living in Ningbo's villages are enjoying the same quality of life as their urban counterparts. Fujialu was formerly a poverty-stricken village but has emerged as a provincial model village for rural tourism development.

Zheng, who is now serving as a foreign professor at Ningbo University, added that the relatively small wealth disparity between rural and urban areas is something that his own country – South Korea – could learn from.

Zheng expressed hope that Ningbo and Busan can further strengthen cooperation and communication in terms of education, culture and economy.

The foreign media group also visited Ningbo Zhoushan Port, one of the busiest ports in China.

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port ranks third in the world in terms of container throughput, up from fourth a year earlier, according to a report by Alphaliner, a shipping advisory service provider.

The port has managed to overtake Shenzhen with an annual container throughput of more than 26.35 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 7 percent year on year, thanks to rapid growth in foreign trade in 2018.

Impressed by the port, Jana Pavlova, an editor from the Czech Republic, said that she is grateful for having the opportunity to witness the achievements of both Ningbo and China, pointing out that and it is imperative to strengthen people-to-people, cultural and media exchanges, as the world is becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent.

She stressed media's essential role as a tool for communication and called for more efforts to strengthen exchange and cooperation.