The board members of the Asia News Network (ANN) – a news coalition of 24 news organizations from various Asian countries – met for the first in-person assembly since the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing on Monday. 

They decided to work toward setting up an independent newsroom with reputable professionals to make the ANN, which was established in 1999, an independent news source for all its members, and for regional and global media in general.

READ MORE: Cooperation ramped up to amplify Asia's voice

The ANN delegates attended a captivating cultural heritage exhibition at the China Daily headquarters in Beijing, which featured mesmerizing tea art performances on-site, exquisite crafts from various ethnic groups, and tea and coffee from Pu’er, Yunnan province.

Wang Zhuangfei of China Daily took the photos.