The forum organizers from the University of Macau’s Research Institute pose for a photo in Zhuhai's Hengqin New Zone. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Industry leaders, communication experts and students in the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Macao on Oct 24 and 25 for a forum to discuss new media and challenges in communication amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in the post-pandemic era.

It will be one of the most important communication conferences hosted by the special administrative region since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Asia-Pacific Communication Forum, hosted by the Macao-based Asia Pacific Communication and Exchange Association (APCEA), will be held in a hybrid mode that combines online and offline sessions in Macao and the Hengqin Free Trade Zone in Zhuhai.

It will be one of the most important communication conferences hosted by the special administrative region since the COVID-19 outbreak.

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The distinguished panel of experts, comprising communication scholars, media professionals and young researchers, will exchange views on how to overcome the communication barriers caused by political dispute, economic inequality, and the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance the media influence of the region in the global scope.

The communication landscape in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, "encounters unprecedented opportunities for development and cooperation, providing a new academic field for international communication studies," according to the organizer.

Graduate students from the University of Macau prepare for the forum. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

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Meanwhile, APCEA and the School of Communication of East China Normal University will jointly initiate the Asia-Pacific Communication Forum Alliance, which comprises communication and media institutions committed to globalization and cultural diversification in Asia Pacific. 

Graduate students of Wuhan University prepare for the conference. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The initiative has been well received by renowned universities, including the Centre for Macau Studies of the University of Macau, the School of Journalism and Communication of Wuhan University, and the Beijing International Studies University. The alliance will hold its inaugural conference during the forum.

The forum is sponsored by the Macao Foundation and co-organized by Centre for Macau Studies of the University of Macau, Zhuhai Da Hengqin Development Co Ltd and its subsidiary Zhuhai Hengqin New Area Elites Human Resources Service Co Ltd.

Graduate students of the School of Communication, Southeast China Normal University in a pre-conference meeting. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Students of the Guangdong University of Finance pose for a photo. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)