BEIJING - The Chinese press and its Arabic counterparts should form a hotline to convey news between themselves rather than rely on Western media for reports on important events or disasters in their regions, a Chinese official said on Thursday.

Guo Xiaoyong, executive deputy director of the China International Publishing Group and a former Arabic-speaking journalist with the Xinhua News Agency, made the remark during a speech at the second China-Arab Press Cooperation Forum, which was held in Manama, Bahrain.

Media organizations in China and the Arab states need to give preference to the information provided by each other in news reporting, which can help developing countries on issues such as human rights and offer alternatives to Western media dominance, Guo said.