The Asian-Pacific Communication Alliance (APCA) held its Council Meeting on December 14, 2021. Professor Changfeng Chen, Executive Dean of School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, Honorary President of Chinese Association for History of Journalism and Communication (CAHJC), was re-elected as President of the APCA.

President, Professor Changfeng Chen. 

Photo by APCA.

Thirty-five council members and representatives from more than 10 countries attended the meeting, including from Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States. Prof. Peng Hwa Ann, Former President of the International Communication Association (ICA); Prof. Deb Aikat, Vice President and President-Elect of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC); Prof. Jantima Kheokao, President of the Asian Network for Public Opinion Research (ANPOR); Prof. Dadang Rahmat Hildayat, President of Indonesia Association of Communication Research (ISKI); Prof. Donald Matheson, President of the Australia New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA); Prof. Yuli Liu, Head of Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong Kong; Prof.Louisa Ha, former editor-in-chief of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and Prof. Min Hang, council member of APCA, Associate Dean of School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University attended the meeting and participated in the discussion.  

In the report to the Council, President Chen emphasized that the alliance was founded in response to the need to establish a community for academic collaboration and a platform for educational exchange in journalism and communication research for scholars in the Asia-Pacific regions. The APCA has successfully organized a series of academic conferences, including offline conferences in Beijing and Hangzhou in China, Bandung in Indonesia, and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and have organized annual online conferences with ANPOR in the past two years since the emergence of the COVID-19. At these conferences, scholars of the Asia-Pacific regions engaged in in-depth pedogogical and research exchange activities. Professor Chen expressed her sincere appreciation to Vice Presidents, Prof. Jantima Kheokao (from Thailand), Prof. Shuhua Zhou (from USA), Prof. Euyn-Jung Ki (from USA), Director of the Academic Committee of the APCA, Prof. Terry Flew (from Australia), Advisory Committee Member, Prof. Dadang Rahmat Hildayat (from Indonesia), and all the council members. The pictures of APCA activities in the three years shown by Professor Chen rekindled many precious memories. The council members expressed that the activities hosted by APCA not only contributed to scholarly exchanges but also created a supportive community and fostered close friendships.

The Council meeting was chaired by Secretary-General, Professor Sung Kyum Cho, and the General Election was chaired by Secretary Jack Qiu. Professor Changfeng Chen was nominated and unanimously re-elected by the council members as the new President of the APCA. President Chen appointed Sung Kyum Cho and Jack Qiu as Co-Secretaries-General.

Secretary-General, Professor Sung Kyum Cho, chaired the Council Meeting.

Photo by APCA.

Secretary Jack Qiu chaired the General Election. 

Photo by APCA.

In her second term, Professor Chen is committed to serving APCA members, enhancing communication, and strengthening cultural diversity to build a more influential APCA where scholars can discuss cultural values and communication phenomena and promote Asia-Pacific voices of journalism and communication research on a global scale.

On the same day, the 2021 ANPOR-APCA Annual Conference was successfully held in Bangkok, Thailand (offline) and online. The theme of the conference was “Understanding Wellbeing in Asian Societies: The Impact of Digital Media on Environmental and Social Resilience.” Professor Min Hang, Associate Dean for International Development of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, gave the keynote presentation titled “Covering China’s Economic Development: Issues and Strategies in a Digital Era.”

The APCA was founded at Tsinghua University on October 25, 2018. Twenty Presidents and 40 Executive Board Members of different Journalism and Communication Associations from 16 countries attended the inaugural meeting and voted for the first Executive Board. Prof. Changfeng Chen from Tsinghua University, President of the Chinese Association for History of Journalism and Communication, was elected as the first President. As the Asia-Pacific regions differ from the West in philosophies, politics, as well as culture and communication, communication scholars need to develop theories with regional characteristics and innovate academic and educational developments. The APCA aims to provide a broad and close platform for academic collaboration in communication research in the Asia-Pacific regions. In the context of globalization, the alliance will continue to bridge the communication gap between regions due to language and cultural barriers, different political systems and levels of social development, and promote the development of disciplinary research and higher education.

Part of the steering committee members at Tsinghua University in 2018.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.

Part of APCA members at the CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.

Part of APCA members at the CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.

Prof.Clifford Christians, the council member of APCA at CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.

Prof. Terry Flew, the Director of the Academic Committee of APCA at CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤. 

Part of APCA members attended the CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤. 

Part of APCA members attended the CAHJC 2018 Conference in Hangzhou, China.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤. 

APCA 2019 Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.

APCA 2019 Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Photo by Changfeng Chen Weibo @陈昌凤.