The First Asia-Pacific Communication Graduate Forum: Greater Bay Area Macao was successfully completed on Nov 23 and 24, 2019. It offered a platform for young scholars and media communication students to tap their talents for good stories about the GBA.

Organized by the Asia-Pacific Communication Exchange Association, a Macao-based communication organization dedicated to boosting the region’s educational and academic development, this first such forum has appeal for the many graduate students in the region eyeing the GBA’s career prospects and opportunities.

The conference kicked off in the Hengqin Free Trade Zone, Zhuhai, on Nov 23, moving next day to Macao, at the University of Macau (UM). The theme for the forum was “Stories of GBA: New trends, new development and new challenge”.

Keynote speakers included internationally renowned scholars such as Jonathan Zhu, chair professor of Computational Social Science and director of the Centre for Communication Research, City University of Hong Kong; Agnes Lam, director of Center for Macao Studies, University of Macao; Daya Thussu, professor of International Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University; Chao Naipeng, professor and dean of Shenzhen University’s College of Mass Communication; and Dr. Angus Cheong, founder and CEO of ERS e-Research & Solutions, Macao, and current chair of the Asia-Pacific Internet Research Alliance (APIRA).

Construction of the GBA is in full swing, amid celebrations this year of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland.

This forum provided a platform for young scholars to gather to explore the unprecedented opportunities for development and cooperation created by the innovation and advancement of new media technology.

How to tell good stories about the GBA, overcome communication barriers caused by political, economic and cultural systems, as well as enhance the discursive power of the GBA globally, were discussed and explored at this forum.

Postgraduate students, especially those from UM, were enthusiastic about this opportunity for scholarly dialogue. Many students participated both as panelists and forum volunteers. They thought the event offered an unusual window to project a new vision for the future of Macao and the GBA, as well as their own future opportunities. They also believed that their efforts can make a difference in cultivating the GBA’s global reputation.