BOAO, Hainan, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The 57th Executive Board Meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) convened on Wednesday in Boao, a coastal town in China's island province of Hainan, highlighting the safety of journalists and cooperation in cutting-edge technologies.

In his opening remarks, Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, called for OANA members to promote the regional partnership based on mutual trust, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation and to deliver reliable and truthful news to help the world better understand the region.

Fu also expressed Xinhua's readiness to strengthen cooperation in cutting-edge technologies and promote R&D and application with fellow members.

OANA President Andrey Kondrashov, who is also director general of Russia's TASS news agency, highlighted the need for countries to collectively harness artificial intelligence to combat fake news and spread credible information.

He also noted the importance of building more reliable and secure mechanisms to safeguard journalists.

The meeting also approved to include Mongolia's MONTSAME National News Agency on the Executive Board of OANA and adopted a joint statement on the safety of journalists.

Protecting journalists is the responsibility not only of professional media, but of the entire global community, according to the joint statement.

The members of OANA will "continue our mission of delivering factual news, to support the safety training of our colleagues, and to champion the principles of objectivity without which the world cannot be truly just and safe," it said. ■