The 4th Annual Sino-U.S. Media Forum The 4th annual Sino-U.S. Media Forum on the theme of "Media, Culture and Soft Power: Building a Global-Local Bridge in the Digital Age" was held in Honolulu on August 14, 2017. This 4th Forum was co-sponsored by the University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Communications, Peking University School of Journalism and Communication and the East-West Center. It brought together scholars, media practitioners and foreign policy specialists from China and Hawaii to examine the impact of social media and digital content on our understanding of the truth, how this shapes China U.S. relations and how to leverage media to promote mutual understanding between two peoples and nations. 4th Annual Sino-U.S. Media Forum East-West Center President Richard R. Vuylsteke welcomes participants to the 4th Sino-US Media Forum University of Hawai`i at Manoa College of Social Sciences Dean Denise Konan welcomes participants to the 4th Sino-US Media Forum Former Peking University School of Journalism and Communication Executive Dean Gong Wenxiang speaks to participants in the 4th Sino-US Media Forum the 4th Sino-US Media Forum Chairperson Ann Auman of the University of Hawai'`i at Manoa School of Communications welcomes forum participants Peking University Associate Professor and Sino-US Media Forum co-founder He Shu speaks on "Cross-cultural Communication in the Era of Media Integration” University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Communications Chairman Prof. Gerald Kato welcomes participants to the 4th Sino-US Media Forum. Former Peking University School of Journalism and Communication Executive Dean Gong Wenxiang presents a gift to East-West Center President Dr. Richard R. Vuylsteke The 4th Forum was divided into one plenary and two sessions in the morning and one media roundtable in the afternoon. The plenary featured two keynote speeches delivered by Tian Wei, China Global Television anchor, and Jaime FlorCruz, former CNN Bureau Chief in Beijing and Peking University Professor. Tian Wei speaks “More Flowers but Better Spring” at the 4th Sino-US Media Forum Jaime FlorCruz talks about reflections on U.S.-China Relations and Media based on his own experience of more than 40 years of reporting in China Session 1, focused on “Soft Power: Media & U.S.-China relations”, was moderated by Prof. Ann Auman and joined by panelists Charles B. Salmon Jr., Prof. Hu Yong, Jeff Lau, and Prof. Shi Zengzhi. East-West Center Adjunct Senior Fellow and former US Ambassador Charles B. Salmon Jr. addresses the 4th Sino-US Media Forum on "Security, Soft Power and Communication in the Asia Pacific Region." Peking University Professor and well-known new media critic Hu Yong speaks on China’s social media scene at the 4th Sino-US Media Forum Honolulu attorney and former Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaiʻi President Jeff Lau gives a personal overview of “Progress in U.S.-China Relations through Communication.” Peking University Professor Shi Zengzhi speaks on "New Media, Empowerment and Self-Communication in Contemporary China” at the 4th Sino-US Media Forum Session 2 paid special attention to “the changing Media Environment and its Impact on Global Communication”. It was moderated by Ji Young Kim, assistant professor at UHM School of Communication and consisted of panelists Prof. Gong Wenxiang, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Associate Prof. Wang Xiaojun, Associate Prof. He Shu and Susan Kreifels. Maya Soetoro-Ng, director of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Spark Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution speaks on "Strategies for Peaceful Cross-Cultural Communication." University of Hawai'i Associate Professor of Economics Wang Xiaojun speaks on "Sino-US Trade and Presidential Elections: Should We Believe What Politicians Say?” East-West Center Media Programs Manager Susan Kreifels speaks at the 4th Sino-US Media Forum on outcomes and lessons learned from the Center's 50 years of professional development programs for journalists. The roundtable panel in the afternoon is of prominent Honolulu journlists on the topic of "Mainstream Media, Social Media and the Quest for Truth." University of Hawai'i at Manoa Student Media Advisor Jay Hartwell introduces the roundtable panel The Sino-U.S. Media Forum is first launched in Beijing on October 27, 2013, at Peking University, which marked the beginning of so far 4 years of rotating and productive relationship between the Peking University School of Journalism and Communication and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Communications. The 5th Sino-US Media Forum will be held at Peking University in 2018, which happens to coincide with the 120th Anniversary of Peking University. Reported by: Shen Zhou Photos credit: East-West Center