The month’s latest events

Hangzhou Games Showcase for the Asian Spirit

The 19th Asian Games commenced on September 23 night in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province,presenting not just another China-hosted sports gala to the world, but also an opportunity for Asian countries to shore up peace, solidarity and inclusiveness through the spirit of good sportsmanship.

State leaders and dignitaries from Asian countries and international organizations attended the opening ceremony at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, which was a display celebrating the depth of Chinese culture and history and emphasizing unity in diversity in different countries and regions.

With the 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia sending over 12,000 athletes to the Games, the Hangzhou Asiad is the largest and most comprehensive Asian Games in history. From September 23 to October 8, the Hangzhou Games will feature 40 sports, 61 disciplines, and 481 events.

The Hangzhou 19th Asian Games, which was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the third time China has hosted the Asiad, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

Beyond highlighting sports’ role in fostering unity,friendship, and cooperation, the Hangzhou Games also provide a venue for deepening mutual learning among different civilizations and mutual understanding among nations with different social backgrounds and cultures.

The Asian Games can help reinforce the spirit of unity and cooperation that is a hallmark of the region.

Collaboration with Chinese Partners Helps Boost Digitalization Drive in Malaysia

Strong cooperation and collaborative effortswith Chinese partners will help boost Malaysia’s drive towards digitalization, a Malaysian official said on September 8.

Cooperation between Malaysia and China in telecommunications and digital economy will benefit both countries, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching said in her speech at the 2023 China Smart Industry Trade Exhibition and Digital Forum.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said that China and Malaysia share much in common in social and economic development strategies. Both countries take science, technology, and innovation as important drivers for social and economic growth.

Organized by the China Entrepreneurs Association in Malaysia (PUCM), the forum brought together experts from both countries and more than 100 enterprises and organizations.

Philippines National Library Inaugurates Chinese Bookshelf

The National Library of the Philippineson September 14 inaugurated the Chinese Bookshelf,an addition of Chinese books to the facility’s already diverse collection, to promote cultural understanding between the two countries.

The new collection, including books on Chinese politics, science fiction, and language studies,among others, is a testament to the enduring cultural ties and friendship between the Philippines and China, said Cesar Gilbert Adriano, director of the library.

The initiative will promote cross-cultural understanding and foster deeper connections in the years to come, Adriano added.

As co-organizer of the book project, the Confucius Institute at the Angeles University Foundation contributed to the book donation, together with a Chinese publisher focusing on culture promotion. A photo exhibition on Chinese culture was also held at the library.

Traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrated in Vietnam

An evening for Chinese traditional artkicked off the celebration of the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on September 20.

The art evening was attended by representatives from the Vietnamese government and the Vietnam-China

Friendship Association, along with teachers and students from local universities and overseas Chinese.

Peng Shituan, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said that the art evening displayed common cultural values shared by audiences from both countries, helping strengthen the people-to-people bond.

The art evening was hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam,co-organized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and undertaken by the Chinese Culture Center in Hanoi, the department of culture and tourism of Guangxi, and the Guangxi Theater.

“iYunnan” Series of Activities in Cambodia Held in Capital Phnom Penh

The release ceremonyfor the results of the “iYunnan” series of activities in Cambodia was successfully held on September 22, as one of the events to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Cambodia diplomatic ties.

The event was hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, the Yunnan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the information office of the Yunnan government, the National

Television of Cambodia, and the government of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.

More than 100 excellent speeches, singing and talent entries were carefully prepared by 12 schools and more than 100 teachers and students.

More than 500 people took part in the event, where they experienced a cultural feast in which Chinese civilization and Angkor civilization intertwined, and the beauty of Yunnan’s humanities and Cambodian customs complemented each other.

“We must hand in hand navigate the challenges to be opportunities, navigate the rivalries to be collaborations, navigate exclusivity to be inclusivity, and navigate differences to be unity.”

—Indonesian President Joko Widodosaid while addressing the closing ceremony of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on September 7

“ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, have always appreciated and highly valued China’s important contribution to cooperation and common prosperity in the region.”

—Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhsaid at the opening ceremony of the 20th China-ASEAN Expo on September 17

“To save our world from another catastrophe, our shared wisdom and united political determination are more crucial than ever. This must be done by putting aside any unilateral interests and resolutely avoiding greater confrontation and division among the UN member states.”

—Laotian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasithtold the General Debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on September 23

487.3billion

A record number of investment deals were inked during a signing ceremony at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, the capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Organizers said the ceremony saw deals signed for 470 projects with a combined investment of487.3 billionyuan (about US$67.9 billion). Over 65 percent of that investment came from deals in the manufacturing sector. The number of deals, the total investment figure, and the manufacturing sector’s share of the total investment have already hit record highs this year,organizers said. The 20th China-ASEAN Expo opened on September 16, with nearly 2,000 enterprises in attendance.Participation is up 18.2 percent from last year’s expo, which was attended by 1,653 enterprises.

271%

Thailand received over 19 million foreign tourists between January and mid-September, representing a271-percentyear-on-year increase, and earned more than 795 billion baht (about US$22.08 billion) in revenue from foreign visitors who were mainly from Malaysia,China, South Korea and India, according to data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on September 19.From September 25, Thailand grants a temporary tourist visa exemption to passport holders from China and Kazakhstan until the end of February 2024. The visa-free entry scheme is expected to help revive Thai tourism and achieve the whole-year target of 25 million to 30 million inbound visitors with 2.38 trillion baht in revenue, said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

4.7%

Economic growth of developing economies in Asia and the Pacific is projected to remain solid, although risks to the outlook are rising, according to The Asian Development Outlook September 2023 released by Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 20. The report forecasts the region’s developing economies to grow4.7 percentthis year, a slight downward revision from a previous projection of 4.8 percent. The report says that growth in the region was upbeat in the first half of this year, driven by China’s reopening, healthy domestic demand,rebounding tourism, strong remittances,and stable financial conditions, even as a weaker global outlook reduced export demand. “Developing Asia continues growing robustly, and inflation pressures are receding,” ADB Chief Economist Albert Park said.

The StarSep 17, 2023

Malaysia, China sign three MOUs worth nearly RM20bil

Malaysia and China have inked three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) worth RM19.84bil. The signing of the MOUs was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was accompanied by Investment,Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.

After witnessing the signing of MOUs, Anwar also invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to visit Malaysia next year to commemorate 50 years of China-Malaysia ties.

Anwar is currently in Nanning, China, for a one-day working visit to the 20th China-Asean Expo (CAExpo) and the China-Asean Business and Investment Summit (Cabis).

Bangkok PostSep 16, 2023

NBTC and APT Join Forces for APT Symposium 2023

The Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has joined hands with the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) to host the APT Symposium 2023, scheduled for September 11–12 2023, at the W Bangkok Hotel.

APT Symposium 2023 serves as a platform for APT Members,Associate Members, Affiliate Members, and representatives from international organisations to convene and share insights on regulatory measures and policy frameworks governing telecommunications/ICT infrastructure development in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year’s event saw participation from representatives and delegations representing a multitude of nations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), and the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC),totalling 134 attendees.

VNASep 9, 2023

Vietnam attends traditional medicine cooperation conference in China

A Vietnamese delegation attended the China (Bozhou)-RCEP Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Cooperation Conference that took place on September 8 in Bozhou city,China’s Anhui province.

The event aimed to promote trade and investment cooperation between traditional pharmaceutical enterprises of China and countries participating in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Trade Counselor to China Nong Duc Lai highlighted the long history of cooperation in traditional medicine between ASEAN and China in general and between Vietnam and China in particular.Lai expressed his hope that through the conference,Vietnamese and Chinese schools, research institutes,hospitals and businesses will cooperate more deeply in this field.

The Straits TimesSep 8, 2023

Indonesia, China discuss boost to investment and trade

Top officials from Indonesia and China discussed ways to improve their bilateral investment and trade, which include expanding the range of Indonesian exports products, both countries said on September 8.Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang after this week’s East Asia Summit in Jakarta. Li said in the meeting that China “stands ready to expand the imports of Indonesian bulk commodities and premium agricultural and fishery products”.

Jokowi also specifically invited Chinese firms, both private and state-owned, to participate in building the Indonesia’s $32 billion new capital, Nusantara,according to a statement from his office. Both parties also discussed flight connectivity between both countries.