COP14 on Wetlands Conservation Opens

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14)kicked off on November 5 in China’s Wuhan and Switzerland’s Geneva.

It is the first time the conference is held in China,as the world’s most populous nation highlights the harmony between humanity and nature while pushing for modernization.

More than 1,000 delegates from contracting parties and international organizations attended the meeting to discuss the future development of the convention.

The Ramsar Convention,named after the city of Ramsar in Iran,where the convention was signed in 1971,is an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems.

Since its accession to the convention in 1992,China has established a legal framework for wetlands protection while actively fulfilling its obligations under the convention.Over the past decade,China has added or restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands,according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

CHINESE MEDIA

Box Girder Erection along Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway Completed

The erection task of all box girdersalong the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway (HSR)was completed on October 16,which means the track-laying channel has fully opened,laying a solid foundation for the completion of the HSR and its opening to traffic in June 2023.At present,all 13 tunnels along the railway have been completed.Over 92 percent of the subgrade,bridge and station civil works have been completed.With a design speed of 350 km per hour,the Jakarta-Bandung HSR built with Chinese technology will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung,the capital of Indonesia’s West Java province,from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

OECD Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum Held in Hanoi

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia MinisterialForum 2022was held on October 17 in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.The theme was “Connecting Regions: Partnership for Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains.”Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh called for further cooperation in the supply chain between Vietnam and the OECD countries,as well as further utilization of existing economic networks and free trade agreements between Southeast Asia and the OECD.Addressing the forum,OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann affirmed to continue coordinating with Vietnam to promote cooperation between the OECD and Southeast Asian countries and to implement the OECD-ASEAN action plan.

China’s Chongqing,Singapore Roll Out Events to Promote Exchanges

Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipalityon October 29 kicked off a slew of events to promote exchanges between China and Singapore.

The events,held under the framework of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity,will run through November 21.

There will be dialogues and forums addressing a wide range of topics,including fintech,smart city development,green development,and tourism,according to Zeng Jinghua,head of the administration bureau of the China-Singapore demonstration project in Chongqing.

“The events will give full play to the role of the China-Singapore demonstration project as a bridge,promote exchanges between Chongqing and Singapore in multiple fields,and foster new drivers for deepening cooperation,” Zeng said.

Thailand,China Co-host Investment Forum to Further Enhance Cooperation

The Thailand-China Investment Forumwas held on November 3 to further enhance economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.The forum,with the theme of “Connected Growth,Greener Boosts,” was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand.

While delivering a speech at the forum,Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Thailand hopes to attract more Chinese investment.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries,Han Zhiqiang,Chinese ambassador to Thailand,said the forum will inject impetus into the cooperation and common development of the two countries.

VOICES

“China is ready to work with all countries to practice true multilateralism,build more consensus for openness,jointly overcome the difficulties and challenges confronting global economic growth,and make sure that our commitment to openness will bring about broad prospects for global development.”

—Chinese President Xi Jinpingsaid at the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on November 4

“The experiences from COVID-19 have clearly shown the necessity to strengthen the regional social safety net,which will make a significant contribution to promoting equitable and inclusive regional socioeconomic development.”

—Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sensaid on October 13 at the 28th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting in Phnom Penh

“We need to deepen our cooperation in developing strategic,measured and innovative responses in order to keep the world economy steady and propel it forward,especially in the areas which require our collective action.”

—Thailand’s Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisithsaid when chairing the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting 2022 on October 20

118,376

From October 1 to 9,the total traffic volume on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was118,376.More than 100,000 vehicles had travelled on Cambodia’s first-ever expressway.The Chinese-invested Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was opened to the public on October 1 for a month’s trial use for free-ofcharge after more than three years of construction.Invested by the China Road and Bridge Corporation,the expressway connects capital Phnom Penh and the deep-sea port province of Preah Sihanouk.Vasim Sorya,undersecretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport,said the expressway is the largest single project under the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation between Cambodia and China.

US$85 billion

Seven years into its operations,the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has upheld multilateralism,achieved rapid development and actively responded to various global challenges.Seven years ago,the bank started with 57 founding members and has since grown to 105 economies from six continents.To date,it has approved 191 projects,mobilizing more thanUS$85 billionin capital,including from the private sector,and playing a positive role in fostering infrastructure development in areas such as transport,energy,water resources and public health.In response to a complex set of challenges worldwide,AIIB President Jin Liqun said that multilateralism is the key to solving global problems.

4%

The International Monetary Fund(IMF) said in a report released on October 28 that economic growth in the Asia and Pacific region is expected to slow down in 2022 and 2023.This reflects headwinds from several aspects,including global financial tightening and the Russia-Ukraine conflict,according to the report.It cut growth forecasts for Asia and the Pacific to4 percentthis year and4.3 percentnext year,down by 0.9 and 0.8 percentage points,respectively,compared to the April forecasts.However,Krishna Srinivasan,director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department,believed that“Asia remains a relative bright spot in an increasingly dimming global economy.”

ASEAN MEDIA

The StarOctober 27,2022

M’sia,China Eyeing More Flights

Malaysia and China are looking into increasing flight routes and frequencies,says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

The Transport Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia are discussing working together with their Chinese counterparts.

“We hope the frequency of flights will surpass that recorded in pre-pandemic times and therefore boost the economy of both nations,especially in travel for business and tourism,” he said at the China’s Future: Development and Opportunities luncheon at a hotel here on October 26.

Dr Wee,who is MCA president,also touched on the role played by the party in promoting bilateral ties between both countries.

“MCA bridges China with the ruling party to integrate China’s Belt and Road Initiative with our national development policies to reap rewards together with our Chinese counterpart,” he said.

VNAOctober 30,2022

Party Leader Arrives in Beijing,Starting China Visit

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his entourage arrived in Beijing on October 30,starting his official visit to China at the invitation of Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping.

The visit is to highlight the foreign policy,including the affirmation of Vietnam’s consistent advocate of taking the relations with China as a top priority in the foreign policy,hoping for long-term,stable,and more effective and practical relations in the spirit of the common perceptions by high-ranking leaders of the two parties and states;and at the same time to make clear Vietnam’s concerns,just stance and legitimate interests.

The visit also expresses support to the development advocates and ideologies of the 20th congress of the CPC beneficial to peace,cooperation,and development.

Bangkok PostOctober 28,2022

12 Billion Tonnes of Plastic Waste Predicted in the Environment by 2050

The Ocean Plastic Turned into an Opportunity in Circular Economy(OPTOCE) Regional Forum,held in Bangkok from October 27–28,2022,examined potential solutions to this issue in five partner Asian nations: Thailand,China,India,Myanmar,and Vietnam.

Dr Kåre Helge Karstensen,Chief Scientist and Project Manager of OPTOCE SINTEF Community Norway,the keynote speaker,said “If current production and waste management trends continue,roughly 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will be in landfills or the natural environment by 2050.”

Launched in Thailand in 2019,the OPTOCE Project seeks to demonstrate new solutions for better waste management and circular economic thinking.

During the two-day regional forum,20 distinguished speakers from the industry,NGOs,start-ups,academic institutes,government institutions and industry associations from all over South-East Asia assessed the impact of the OPTOCE Project so far.

The Straits TimesNovember 1,2022

Singapore and China Reach 19 Deals,Boosting Ties in Green Financing,Digitalization

Singapore and China reached 19 agreements–the most in recent years–after an annual top-level meeting on November 1,deepening cooperation in areas from green financing to digitalization to innovation.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat,who co-chaired the apex meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng,said the “bumper crop” of 19 deliverables–along green,digital and connectivity themes–reflected the growing depth and breadth of bilateral cooperation.

“A successful China that is well integrated into the international system benefits China and the world,” Mr.Heng added.

In his opening remarks,Mr.Han said “We hope that this meeting can drive cooperation between both countries to achieve new developments.”