Information

01. Indonesia to reopen Bali for international visitors from Oct. 14

Oct. 4， 2021 （Xinhua） — Indonesia will reopen international flights to Bali for foreign visitors from certain countries starting from October 14 as the COVID-19 transmission has eased in the country， a government official said October 4. Indonesia will receive international visitors from South Korea， China， Japan， New Zealand， as well as from Abu Dhabi and Dubai of the United Arab Emirates， Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan told a virtual press conference. International visitors are allowed to enter the archipelago country by having a proof of hotel booking for a minimum of eight days of quarantine and health tests.

02. Experts eye better China-ASEAN ties

Oct. 5， 2021 （China Daily） — With the acceleration of the digital economy serving as a silver lining during the COVID-19 pandemic， regional experts see more opportunities for China and the ASEAN to strengthen technological cooperation for common development and prosperity. “Digital technology， a game-changer critical to responding to and overcoming the COVID-19 crisis， has become the bedrock of our everyday life，” said Koh King Kee， President of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia， a think tank in Kuala Lumpur， Malaysia.

03. JD ramps up efforts to expand presence in Indonesia

Oct. 8， 2021 （China Daily） — Chinese e-commerce giant JD is beefing up efforts to expand its presence in Indonesia by continuously investing in supply chain infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies. It will introduce artificial intelligence-powered unmanned supermarkets and virtual makeup technologies and services in Indonesia， said Zhang Li， Chief Executive Officer of JD.ID， JDs e-commerce joint venture in Indonesia. The company will bring its relatively mature technologies， services and products to markets there， carry out extensive cooperation with more local partners， and let instant delivery and logistics services cover a wider range of areas in Indonesia， he added.

04. China Cultural Center in Singapore shows charm of Longquan celadon

Oct. 9， 2021 （China Daily） — The Nice Choice overseas cultural and creative exhibition of Longquan celadon was launched in Singapore on September 12. The show is co-sponsored by the China Cultural Center in Singapore， Network of International Culturalink Entities of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and Longquan municipal government in East Chinas Zhejiang province. Chan Soo Sen， Former Minister of State of Singapore， Xiao Jianghua， Director of the China Cultural Center in Singapore， Wu Songping， Secretary of the CPC Longquan Municipal Committee of Zhejiang province attended the opening ceremony.

05. Malaysia opens inter-state， national travel borders for fully vaccinated people

Oct. 11， 2021 （Xinhua） — Malaysias inter-state and national borders are finally open starting Monday， with many hailing the move as the start to a return to normalcy. The easing of travel restrictions is for those who are fully vaccinated， including to return to their respective hometowns to meet with loved ones and for tourism purposes， following an announcement by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on October 10. In a televised address， Ismail Sabri urged those opting to travel to remain on guard and not become complacent， following the standard operating procedure （SOP） and other guidelines for their own health and safety.

06. Railway links China and Laos， carving out new international passage

Oct. 12， 2021 （Xinhua） — With the last steel beam laid， a railway stretching over 1，000 km from southwest Chinas Kunming， capital of Yunnan province， to Vientiane of Laos， was completed on October 12. The track construction of the China-Laos railway was completed in Mengla County of the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture， which is near a land port on the China-Laos border. Scheduled for a cross-border railway service in December this year， the direct transport route is expected to slash the travel time between the two cities to less than one day， according to China State Railway Group Co.， Ltd.

07. China-ASEAN trade and economic ties deepen

Oct. 12， 2021 （China Daily） — Coffee， rice， dried fruits， tableware， wooden furniture and self-driving or automated vehicles were among the broad array of products displayed at the latest edition of the China-ASEAN Expo and the concurrent China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit. Held in Nanning， the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region， both online and offline from September 10 to 13， the 18th edition of the event was a full reflection of the achievements of the continuously deepening all-round economic and trade cooperation between China and the ASEAN， as well as the bright prospects for China-ASEAN economic and trade ties.

08. China-Laos railway set to boost commercial relations with ASEAN

Oct. 14， 2021 （China Daily） — The anticipated full opening by the end of this year of the China-Laos railway — an important part of the trans-Asian railway network — will significantly stimulate both trade volume and people-to-people exchanges between China and Southeast Asia in the coming years， said its investors and operators on October 13. They made the comments after China Railway Group Ltd， the main contractor for the project， announced on October 12 that track construction of the 1，024-kilometer railroad， which connects Kunming in Yunnan province with the Lao capital Vientiane， was completed in Mengla county， Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture.