SANYA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinhua News Agency and Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) will strengthen cooperation and jointly report on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Xinhua's editor-in-chief He Ping and IRNA's managing director Seyed Zia Hashemi Monday reached the agreement at Media Leaders Summit for Asia, Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018.

He said Iran was a key country along the Belt and Road, and media should play a role in pushing the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of a community with a shared future for both Asia and humanity as a whole.

He said the world is undergoing great changes never seen in the past century and Asia's rise is inevitable.

"It is our common responsibility to match the voice of Asia with the continent's significance," he said.

Hashemi said Xinhua holds a prominent position among Chinese media and IRAN is a key news source of Iran. The two, he said, can strengthen cooperation in news exchange, personnel training, and construction of overseas branches.