NEWS in brief

CHINESE MEDIA

China promotes integrated development of domestic,foreign trade

China,the world’s second-largest consumer market and the world’s biggest goods trader,is striving to accelerate the integrated development of both domestic and foreign trade.

Introducing a circular released recently by the General Office of the State Council that raised 18 measures to speed up the integrated development,officials of multiple departments said that it is necessary to open up the domestic market as well as the international market,encourage foreign trade enterprises to switch to domestic sales,and domestic trade enterprises to engage in foreign trade.

“Our understanding of the integration of domestic and foreign trade is to adhere to integrated development and help enterprises walk on two legs,” Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping said at a press conference held in Beijing on December 18,2023.

Sheng added that the measures not only support foreign trade companies to expand the domestic market so that high-quality foreign trade products can enter the domestic e-commerce platforms,shopping malls,and supermarkets,but they also support foreign trade companies to expand their market overseas by giving full play to the role of new foreign trade formats and models such as market procurement,cross-border e-commerce,and overseas warehouses.

Chinese,Cambodian NGOs unveil livelihood improvement projects in Cambodia

Several Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs),in collaboration with the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF) of Cambodia,on December 19,2023,unveiled several projects,aiming at improving the livelihoods of rural people in Cambodia.Those Chinese NGOs include the China Foundation for Peace and Development,China Foundation for Rural Development,Beijing-based Peaceland Foundation,and Amity Foundation,among others.

They have been cooperating with the CSAF to carry out a number of projects in poverty alleviation,education,healthcare,water supply and sanitation,solar power,bicycle donation,film production,and agricultural development in various provinces.

Tep Ngorn,second vice president of the Senate of Cambodia,said these projects are a result of close cooperation between Cambodia and China under the Belt and Road Initiative,adding that they will greatly contribute to promoting the bond of friendship between the people of the two countries.

China’s tech giant Huawei to help drive Thailand as regional AI development hub

China’s technology giant Huawei and Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES)established a partnership on December 18,2023,aiming to help drive the Southeast Asian country’s digital transformation towards an artificial intelligence (AI) development hub in the region.

Speaking at the Huawei Cloud AI Summit Thailand 2023 in Bangkok,MDES Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the collaboration in the cloud and AI digital ecosystems will lead the kingdom to build its own dedicated AI,which is a key infrastructure for the future under the government’s initiative to push cloud-first policies as the new growth engine.

Cooperation with private sector partners like Huawei will help Thailand speed up digital transformation,develop talents,achieve economic sustainability,and improve people’s well-being,Prasert said in his opening remarks.

First tracks laid for Malaysia’s mega rail project

The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL),a mega rail project in Malaysia being built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC),has seen its first tracks being laid on December 11,2023.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is among the guests to witness the historic moment in a ceremony here.

In his speech during the ceremony,Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook hailed the project for its benefits to the local economy,the uplifting of the communities on the country’s east coast and the upskilling and technology transfer that the ECRL has made possible.

A major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative,the ECRL runs from Malaysia’s largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia.

Tianjin and Singapore sign MoU to boost green and low-carbon development

The Tianjin city government and the Ministry of National Development in Singaporesigned a memorandum of understanding on green,low-carbon,and quality development on December 7,2023 in Tianjin.

The MoU aims to elevate China-Singapore relations to an all-around,high-quality,and future-oriented partnership.

It envisions the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City becoming a role model for this new relationship.

Over the next ten years,China and Singapore will collaborate on technological innovation,product development,green standard accreditation,energy management,and scenario applications in accordance with the MoU.

Cooperative efforts in green construction,energy,transportation,high-end manufacturing,finance,and low-carbon industrial parks are also part of the agreement.

Both parties commit to introducing cutting-edge green and low-carbon products and services,positioning the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City as a global hub for low-carbon technology,products,and services and a benchmark for the global low-carbon economy.

VOICES

“Laos and China are neighbours with share future and destiny.We always pay attention to and actively support each other through continuing increasing and promoting cooperation in areas of economy,trade,investment,exchange of information,culture,technology as well as people-to-people exchange.”

-Lao Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithounesaid at the second Belt and Road Forum for Laos-China Cooperation in Vientiane,Laos,on December 7,2023

“It is the human face of climate change and therefore it is our shared duty to present and future generations protecting our climate as the foundation upon which we all depend for our health and our well-being.”

-Reem Al Hashimy,UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation,said during the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai on December 5,2023

“With closer relations and cooperation in the field of higher education between Malaysia and China,we will be able to give our young people more choices and opportunities in different fields of education.”

-Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong,president of the Malaysian Chinese Association,said in a Facebook post on his official account on November 28,2023

200trillion

The Indonesian government will impose a visa-free policy for tourists from 20 countries and regions including China in an attempt to attract more foreign visitors,the country’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said on December 7,2023.“The free-visa policy has been based on some considerations,including the economic impacts,the principle of reciprocity,and the security aspects,” Uno told reporters after a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta.“We will finalize the regulation one month ahead before officially enacting it,” he said.Indonesia has targeted to welcome 14 million foreign tourists in 2024 which will hopefully contribute to the country’s economic value of up to200 trillionrupiahs.“Hopefully we can increase the number of tourist arrivals to reach the value target,specifically by targeting high spenders,and improve the local economy,” Uno said.

5.2million

Malaysia-based low-cost airline AirAsia announced a significant increase in services between China,India and Malaysia,totaling an impressive 230 weekly flights starting in the first quarter of 2024,with up to5.2 millionseats per year.The significant increase in capacity via AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia X Malaysia comes in response to the anticipated surge in travel demand following the Malaysian government’s announcement of a 30-day visa-free entry for travelers from China and India into Malaysia starting December 1,2023,AirAsia said in a statement.The announcement also coincides with the recent announcement of the easing of travel restrictions for Malaysians to China from December 1,2023.AirAsia’s parent firm Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes said the firm stands ready to add capacity to support the demand for affordable and accessible air travel in the region.

200,000tons

The Lao government will work with a Chinese company to study the feasibility of a scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation.A Memorandum of Understanding on a feasibility study to set the initiative in motion under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project was signed between the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Sichuan Huatou Carbon Sink Development in the Lao capital on December 1,2023.The agreement paves the way for the Lao government and the company to access sustainable sources of capital for the management and protection of forest resources and to work together to develop carbon technology and access the sustainable forest carbon credit market.If the project goes ahead,it is estimated that carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by about200,000 tonsper year.

ASEAN MEDIA

The StarDec 6,2023

Construction expo fostering business between China and Malaysia

The 2023 Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition Sub-exhibition in South-East Asia (CICEE SEA 2023) was an opportunity for Chinese enterprises to expand in the region.

The exhibition was held in Kuala Lumpur at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre and it fostered business exchanges between China and Malaysia.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin launched the exhibition with the theme “A New Generation of High-end,Intelligent,and Green Construction Machinery.”

Over 120 exhibitors including major enterprises such as Sany Group,Zoomlion Heavy Industry,and Sunward Intelligent showcased their products,technologies and ideas.

The exhibition aimed to leverage international cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP),encouraging Chinese construction machinery enterprises to explore opportunities in Southeast Asia and the Belt and Road projects.

Bangkok PostDec 8,2023

China to set up auto research institute in Thailand

China will establish a China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) in regional automaking hub Thailand,the Thai government said on December 8,the centre’s fourth such facility in the world.

Thai government tax incentives and subsidies have already drawn Chinese carmakers,including BYD and Great Wall Motor,which have committed to investing US$1.44 billion in new production facilities in the country.

CATARC,a Chinese government affiliated auto research institute,has centres in Germany,Switzerland and Japan and the latest one will facilitate Chinese electric vehicle (EV)manufacturers in Thailand,Thai government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said in a statement.

Thailand aims to convert about a third of its annual production of 2.5 million vehicles into EVs by 2030 and is preparing incentives to encourage more investment and conversion into EV manufacturing.

VNADec 13,2023

Vietnam gives top priority to developing relations with China: PM

Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping in Hanoi on December 13,as part of the latter’s state visit to Vietnam.

PM Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that the visit by Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his spouse demonstrated the importance the Chinese Party and State have attached to Vietnam and the bilateral relations.

PM Pham Minh Chinh also noted that the Vietnamese government will work closely together with the Chinese government to strengthen coordination and direct relevant agencies and localities to concretise those achievements and high-level common perceptions,helping to beef up the relations between the two Parties and two countries in a stable,sustainable and durable manner.

The Straits TimesDec 8,2023

Upgraded free trade pact,mutual visa-free regime for S’pore and China

People and business flows between Singapore and China look set to expand,with an upgraded free trade pact that gives Singapore firms greater access to China’s services sectors.

A new visa-free arrangement is also expected to kick in from early 2024,allowing Singaporeans and Chinese nationals to visit the other country for up to 30 days with no need for a visa.

Both announcements at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC),along with more than 20 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and agreements inked,put flesh on the relationship that was upgraded in April,heralding what both sides said is a new era of cooperation.

The visa-free arrangement,for instance,will “enable more people-to-people exchanges,thereby fortifying the bedrock of our bilateral relations”,Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on December 7 at the top bilateral forum which he co-chairs.