2019年9月6日 香港:首届“粤港澳大湾区杰出文创产业颁奖典礼”今日在香港举行,近200名来自政商学界的高端人士出席。 “粤港澳大湾区杰出文创产业奖”创办于2019年,旨在表扬优秀大湾区优秀的文创企业及机构。 评选活动由香港恒生大学主办,中国日报协办。活动根据评奖指标,以新闻及互联网信息服务、内容创作生产及创意设计服务等七大文创产业类别,在140家入围企业中评选出20家获奖企业,包括:迅雷网络技术、城市当代舞蹈团、华强方特、橙天嘉禾娱乐、三联书店、凤凰卫视、南方出版传媒、麦肯世界、严迅奇建筑师事务所、丝路视觉、阅文集团、海洋公园、中华商务、深圳市漫步者、英皇娱乐、香港演艺学院和微辣文化等。 香港艺术发展局主席王英伟出席本次活动并致辞,他说:文创产业做到“和而不同”,便能走出一条康庄大道。创意产业讲求创新,“不同”不代表会互相排斥,而是会令业界更加和谐美丽。业界要用“和而不同”的概念,发展粤港澳大湾区的文创产业。 恒生大学校长何顺文在致辞中指出,文创产业对经济实力发展有举足轻重的作用。可以预见,文创产业的发展与大湾区的联合,使香港身处两大机遇洪流之中。 香港恒生大学校董兼校务委员会主席郑慕智表示,文化创意产业合作是粤港澳大湾区发展的关键驱动器,文化创意产业是香港迈上高增值、多元化经济的新动力。在全球化的架构下,粤港澳大湾区传统制造业面临很大挑战,更需要利用文化创意产业提高竞争力,促进第三产业及高端服务业的发展。粤港澳大湾区要进一步探讨促进文化产业合作,取长补短。 评选委员会由香港恒生大学文化及创意产业文学士课程主任许焯权牵头,并由澳门理工学院艺术高等学校校长兼文化创意产业教学暨研究中心主任徐秀菊、上海戏剧学院院长黄昌勇、南方科技大学党委副书记兼深圳大学文化产业研究院院长李凤亮,和北京大学文化产业研究院副院长向勇组成。 在随后进行的题为“文创湾区:数字时代的文创创意产业发展新趋势”的专题研讨会中,四位演讲嘉宾围绕主题进行讨论。编导出身的红点子创作(香港)有限公司创办人暨行政总裁李嘉俊,近年来抛开传统,大力研究发展AR及VR技术,并应用于媒体业务中。他为颁奖典礼带来了一位“虚拟主播”,并表示,香港拥有国际大都市的天然优势,再加上过去几十年间作为西方和东方交汇之地,潜移默化地吸收着中西合璧的创意元素,这是香港与生俱来的优势。如何借助粤港澳大湾区和“一带一路”倡议的东风令本土的创作人进一步发挥这一优势,是一个需要持续关注的话题。 时尚饰品品牌Ejj珠宝的创办人兼创意总监邵燕宁认为,在时尚产业领域,內地和香港都积极提供了一系列孵化项目的政策支持。然而相较于直接派发资金,商业配对服务和办公场地的支持性政策,在帮助香港本土设计师开辟大陆市场,特别是了解粤港澳大湾区框架内珠江三角洲九座城市的不同文化方面卓有成效。 新世界发展有限公司提倡创意设计及建筑新思维,其项目管理部高级项目总监董正纲坦言,新世界集希望以文化、科技及国际视野,在大湾区建设地标,冀打造大湾区成为文化硅谷区,促使香港乃至湾区形成孵化科技、创意及文化产业的中心。 作为香港本地资深建筑师,严迅奇建筑师事务所有限公司主持严迅奇在西九故宫博物馆项目中担任重要角色,他认为,科技可以将建筑提升到另一个层次,但建筑始终是一个以人为主导的活动,而科技只不过是协助的工具,我们需要更加仔细地思考人和科技的关系。(完) 有关香港恒生大学文化及创意产业(荣誉)文学士学位课程 香港恒生大学文化及创意产业(荣誉)文学士学位课程,致力培育学生成为社会创新与知识型经济发展的新动力。课程提供多方位的综合培训,向学生传授文创产业的专业知识和理论、商业基础知识,更着重语言能力和沟通技巧的培训,透过多元化的教学模式,学生学习如何以现代观念和世界视野了解文创产业。课程同时鼓励学生探索文化和创意,从跨学科视野,增进文创产业发展及运作的知识。 有关中国日报 中国日报是中国国家英文日报,创刊于1981年,拥有报纸、网站、移动客户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台,全媒体用户总数超过2亿。截至2019年8月,我报微博粉丝数超过4450万;微信订阅人数581万,客户端全球下载用户超过2200万,是我国唯一下载量过千万的英文新闻客户端;脸谱账号粉丝数超过7900万,位居全球媒体账号粉丝数第二位;推特账号粉丝数420万。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852) 3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-062019年9月6日 香港:首屆「粵港澳大灣區傑出文創產業頒獎典禮」今日在香港舉行,近200名来自政商學界的高端人士出席。 「粵港澳大灣區傑出文創產業獎」創辦于2019年,旨在表揚優秀大灣區優秀的文創企業及機構。 評選活動由香港恆生大學主辦,中國日報協辦。活動根據評獎指標,以新聞及互聯網信息服務、內容創作生產及創意設計服務等七大文創產業類別,在140家入圍企業中評選出20家獲獎企業,包括:迅雷網絡技術、城市當代舞蹈團、華強方特、橙天嘉禾娛樂、三聯書店、鳳凰衛視、南方出版傳媒、麥肯世界、嚴迅奇建築師事務所、絲路視覺、閱文集團、海洋公園、中華商務、深圳市漫步者、英皇娛樂、香港演藝學院和微辣文化等。 香港藝術發展局主席王英偉出席本次活動并致辭,他說:文創產業做到「和而不同」,便能走出一條康莊大道。創意產業講求創新,「不同」不代表會互相排斥,而是會令業界更加和諧美麗。業界要用「和而不同」的概念,發展粵港澳大灣區的文創產業。 恆生大學校長何順文在致辭中指出,文創產業對經濟實力發展有舉足輕重的作用。可以預見,文創產業的發展與大灣區的聯合,使香港身處兩大機遇洪流之中。 香港恆生大學校董兼校務委員會主席鄭慕智表示,文化創意產業合作是粵港澳大灣區發展的關鍵驅動器,文化創意產業是香港邁上高增值、多元化經濟的新動力。在全球化的架構下,粵港澳大灣區傳統製造業面臨很大挑戰,更需要利用文化創意產業提高競爭力,促進第三產業及高端服務業的發展。粵港澳大灣區要進一步探討促進文化產業合作,取長補短。 評選委員會由香港恒生大學文化及創意產業文學士課程主任許焯權牽頭,並由澳門理工學院藝術高等學校校長兼文化創意產業教學暨研究中心主任徐秀菊、上海戲劇學院院長黃昌勇、南方科技大學黨委副書記兼深圳大學文化產業研究院院長李鳳亮,和北京大學文化產業研究院副院長向勇組成。 在隨後進行的題為「文創灣區:數字時代的文創創意產業發展新趨勢」的專題研討會中,四位演講嘉賓圍繞主題進行討論。編導出身的紅點子創作(香港)有限公司創辦人暨行政總裁李嘉俊,近年來拋開傳統,大力研究發展AR及VR技術,並應用於媒體業務中。他為頒獎典禮帶來了一位「虛擬主播」,并表示,香港擁有國際大都市的天然優勢,再加上過去幾十年間作為西方和東方交匯之地,潛移默化地吸收著中西合璧的創意元素,這是香港與生俱來的優勢。如何借助粵港澳大灣區和「一帶一路」倡議的東風令本土的創作人進一步發揮這一優勢,是一個需要持續關注的話題。 時尚飾品品牌Ejj珠寶的創辦人兼創意總監邵燕寧認為,在時尚產業領域,內地和香港都積極提供了一系列孵化項目的政策支持。然而相較於直接派發資金,商業配對服務和辦公場地的支持性政策,在幫助香港本土設計師開闢大陸市場,特別是瞭解粵港澳大灣區框架內珠江三角洲九座城市的不同文化方面卓有成效。 新世界發展有限公司提倡創意設計及建築新思維,其項目管理部高級項目總監董正綱坦言,新世界集希望以文化、科技及國際視野,在大灣區建設地標,冀打造大灣區成為文化硅谷區,促使香港乃至灣區形成孵化科技、創意及文化產業的中心。 作為香港本地資深建築師,嚴迅奇建築師事務所有限公司主持嚴迅奇在西九故宮博物館項目中擔任重要角色,他認為,科技可以将建築提升到另一個層次,但建築始終是一個以人為主導的活動,而科技只不過是協助的工具,我們需要更加仔細地思考人和科技的關係。 有關香港恒生大學文化及創意產業(榮譽)文學士學位課程 香港恒生大學文化及創意產業(榮譽)文學士學位課程,致力培育學生成為社會創新與知識型經濟發展的新動力。課程提供多方位的綜合培訓,向學生傳授文創產業的專業知識和理論、商業基礎知識,更著重語言能力和溝通技巧的培訓,透過多元化的教學模式,學生學習如何以現代觀念和世界視野了解文創產業。課程同時鼓勵學生探索文化和創意,從跨學科視野,增進文創產業發展及運作的知識。 有關中國日報 中國日報是中國國家英文日報,創刊於1981年,擁有報紙、網站、移動客戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平台,全媒體用戶總數超過2億。截至2019年8月,我報微博粉絲數超過4450萬;微信訂閱人數581萬,用戶端全球下載用戶超過2200萬,是我國唯一下載量過千萬的英文新聞用戶端;臉譜帳號粉絲數超過7900萬,位居全球媒體帳號粉絲數第二位;推特帳號粉絲數420萬。 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-06Elaine Shiu, chief brand officer of Ejj Jewelry, usually draws flashes of inspiration for new jewelry design whenever she’s in the air en route to her factory in Italy. With her mobile phone in airplane mode and no other distraction standing in the way, the 12-ish flight hours — more often than not — offer her perfect conditions for coming up with dashing models for new art pieces. Flying in the face of an industry where consumers, especially in Hong Kong, tend to be conservative when it comes to innovation and stick to their own cup of tea all the time, Shiu’s designing talent has shifted to somewhere more broad-minded as she has spotted another market just north of the Hong Kong boundary — the nine-city cluster that, together with Hong Kong and Macao, makes up the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As southern China’s economic powerhouse, the Bay Area, with its burgeoning economy and a total population of about 70 million, boasts tremendous market potential that remains untapped for EJJ. Shiu says consumers on the Chinese mainland value and chase new jewelry designs, and are more open-minded to new technology such as 3D printing, while prices seem to be no big deal to them. Unperturbed by traditional taboos in Hong Kong’s market, Shiu can test the waters with various patterns and models in the Bay Area cities on the mainland, including fashionable Dongguan. At the same time, Ejj’s products are not only delicately designed, but also technology-driven, as a certain chunk of them are made in Italy and produced with mature 3D printing technology. It’s a bold move in the industry as many traditional consumers tend to be skeptical about the reliability of the technology and the production process and what the products are made of. Yet, they’re warmly embraced by consumers in the Bay Area as many of Ejj’s customers think highly of the new technology application, according to Shiu, who believes that 3D printing is a future trend in jewelry design. The icing on the cake for Ejj is that the design spearheaded by Shiu merges features of East and West. As “Peyton” — one artifact of such kind designed by Shiu — was inspired by the walls of China’s Forbidden City and, through Italian 3D printing technology, a Chinese knot model was forged. The golden walls carry ancient meanings, and the contrasting vivid blue background culminates in a fashionable and trendy product combining traditional Chinese and modern culture. Ejj has trained its sights on the nine-city cluster on the mainland for the next one to two years, allocating some 70 percent of its business there to take advantage of the relatively low production costs, as well as a great number of deep-pocketed consumers in the Bay Area.
2019-09-06Technology could lead the construction industry to a new stage, but technology is no more than a tool since the sector is led by human beings, Hong Kong architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee told China Daily in an interview. Architecture needs imagination, but cannot be accomplished just by imagination, he said. Yim believes technology could make some of architects’ ideas come true, he said after winning an award at Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony on Friday. “The development of technology enables us to have a concept of the design via illustrations of architecture and 3D printing models. On this basis, we can further make more studies and discuss more with others,” said Yim, founder of Rocco Design Architects Ltd. In addition, he said, technology could help produce certain elements and components when construction is underway. The architect has been responsible for the design of many iconic buildings in the city, including the International Finance Centre in Central and the Central Government Complex at the Tamar site. Yim was appointed the design architect for the Hong Kong Palace Museum in 2017. The final design for the new addition to the West Kowloon Cultural District had already been unveiled. He said all the rough design work has been completed. What is left now are details that need to be ironed out after talks with the museum curator and other involved officials. The main project of the Palace Museum began months earlier. The planned building has been likened to a vase or an ancient Chinese cauldron. “Basically, it’s a contemporary building presenting traditional culture. The material and the shape are quite contemporary. But we hope it could evoke antiquity. It is more about the temperament of the building,” Yim said. He expects the museum could “have a dialogue between generations” with other buildings in the cultural district, as there will be a comparison of “the old and the new”. Yim used to describe the Palace Museum as his most challenging museum project, considering the limited land area. To make the best use of that, he has to have the building extend up in the air. Museum designs normally have two or three floors with wider areas, while the Palace Museum in Hong Kong will be a five-story building. It will interconnect galleries on different floors and three central atriums with views of the harbor. Discussing government projects, Yim said that public space will usually be larger in these kinds of projects. For example, the government headquarters at Tamar wasted some sea views and brought more public usage right to the middle of a government complex. “I proposed to do that, and the government agreed. It turns out we succeeded and had a quite good result,” he said. The complex now has become a public thoroughfare, with lots of people going through, and is a link between the waterfront and the inner city.
2019-09-06Sep 6, 2019, Hong Kong: Co-organized by Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and China Daily, the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony”, plus a panel discussion entitled “Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era”, was held in Hong Kong. Dr. Wilfred WONG Ying-wai, GBS, JP, Chairman, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, delivered the keynote address after the opening remarks. He said the cultural and creative industries should pursue “harmony in diversity”, and if they can achieve this goal, the future will be very bright for them. The cultural and creative industries have to be innovative and diversified, but that don’t have to mean they are mutually exclusive, they can develop in harmony. That’s why we need the concept of “harmony in diversity” to develop cultural and creative industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Prof. Simon Shun-Man HO, President, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, said the cultural and creative industries play a decisive role in the development of economic strength. It is predictable that both industries, together with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, could provide limitless opportunities for Hong Kong. Dr. Moses Mo-Chi CHENG, OBE, GBS, GBM, Member of Board of Governors and Council Chairman, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, said the cooperation of the culture and creative industries among Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the key driver for the region’s development. Meanwhile, the cultural and creative industries bring momentum to Hong Kong to develop high-value added industries and a diversified economy. Under the globalization, the traditional manufacturing in the Bay Area is facing great challenge where cultural and creative industries are needed to boost competitiveness and fuel the growth in high-end service sector. The Bay Area needs to further promote cooperation in the cultural and creative industries and learn from each other's strong points and offset the weakness. Mr. ZHOU Li, Editorial Board Member, China Daily Group; Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, China Daily Asia Pacific said, today, cultural and creative industries have been at a stage of high-speed development. If the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area aims for a world-class city cluster, it not only requires booming economy, healthy livelihood, open innovative atmosphere, but also has to build a world leading cultural center. It relies on prospective projects and outstanding cultural enterprises. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards, launched in 2019, is in recognition of the outstanding performance of companies and organizations in the cultural and creative industry sectors in the Greater Bay Area. A total of 20 companies were selected as winners among 140 shortlisted enterprises. The awards affirm the efforts and achievements of the award-winning companies and organizations and promote public recognition and understanding of cultural and creative industries in the Greater Bay Area. The panel of judges was led by Prof. Desmond Cheuk-Kuen HUI, Director, BA-CCI Programme, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong; It comprised professors and experts, including Prof. Hsiu-Chu Hsu, Director, School of Arts, Macao Polytechnic Institute; Prof. HUANG Changyong, President, Shanghai Theatre Academy; Prof. LI Fengliang, Vice-Chairman of Council, Southern University of Science and Technology; and Prof. XIANG Yong, Vice Dean, Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University. A following panel discussion, themed “Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era”, had four distinguished speakers -- Mr Kevin LEE, Founder & CEO, Redspots Creative (HK) Company Limited; Ms. Elaine SHIU, Founder and Chief Brand officer, Ejj Holding Limited; Mr. Jeff TUNG, Senior Project Director, New World Development Company Limited; and Dr. Rocco YIM, Principal, Rocco Design Architects Associates Limited. They exchanged views and interacted with more than 200 delegates on the topic. Mr Kevin LEE said that known as an international metropolis, coupled with its unique status as a place where East meets West, Hong Kong has what it takes to make a difference in the cultural and creative industries. How to ride high on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area mega plan and the Belt and Road initiative to help local creators give the advantages to full play remains as an issue that should be closely watched. Ms. Elaine SHIU said governments from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong today have offered a whole package of incubation programs to support the development of the fashion industry. Compared with the funding support, however, the provision of business matching services and office areas helps the city’s designers to make inroads into the mainland market in a more effective manner, especially acquainting them with the different cultures of the nine neighboring cities in Guangdong across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mr. Jeff TUNG said New World Development - with its edge on culture, technology and international vision - is aimed at building the Greater Bay Area into a Silicon Valley on culture front, in an effort to facilitate Hong Kong, along with the rest ten cities within the city-cluster to be the incubation center for technology, innovation and culture. Dr. Rocco YIM said, while technology is capable of bringing engineering to the next level, it is - at the end of the day - an auxiliary tool, and engineering will always be dominated by human beings themselves. The relationship between technology and human beings is something we have to think in a more comprehensive manner. (END) About Hang Seng University of Hong Kong- BACCI The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Cultural and Creative Industries programme (BA-CCI) of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong adopts a diverse range of approaches towards understanding and analysing the industries while immersing students in the discipline through design or production of cultural and creative related products, services and businesses with local, Greater China and global perspectives. The programme encourages students to explore the meaning of culture and creativity in the ever-changing business and management contexts of industries. It will equip students with the business skills and management expertise required of business leaders and entrepreneurs in the era of creative and knowledge-based economy. About China Daily China Daily, established in 1981 as the national English-language newspaper, has developed into a multi-media information platform combining newspapers, websites and apps with a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, SinaWeibo and WeChat. It serves more than 200 million readers all over the world and is a default choice for people who read about China in English. The group plays an important role as a channel for information exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-06Cultural and creativity industry prizes awarded on Friday highlighted the opportunities inherent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for cooperation and greater synergies. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony was held in Hong Kong to promote outstanding companies and organizations in the cultural and creative industries within the Bay Area. Co-organized by Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and China Daily, the event also aimed to raise awareness of the Bay Area and facilitate a deeper understanding of the cultural and creative enterprises in the area. “The cultural and creative industry is one of the key pillars of China’s economy. Its development, combined with the continuing Bay Area movement, represents huge opportunities for both Hong Kong and Chinese mainland,” said Simon S M Ho, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong president, during the opening remarks. Moses Cheng Mo-chi, a consultant at Hong Kong law firm Messrs. P.C. Woo & Co, added during his own opening remarks that the Hong Kong government has been advancing development in innovative and cultural industries in recent years, while at the same time facilitating collaboration with China to further push these industries forward. The comments were echoed by Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, who said he saw a lot of potential in the cultural and creative industry. The Bay Area represents “natural progress that makes sense”, said Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, in his keynote address for the awards ceremony. “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has three different currencies, taxing systems and legal infrastructures. The people residing in these areas also have different cultural backgrounds,” Wong said. “Problems related to exporting issues and the falling yuan might also come into play. Because of that, to fully integrate these three places might take some time,” he added. “But I am a firm believer of ‘harmony in diversity’. We need to adopt an open mind and take benefits from the different innovative ideas.” Citing the filmmaking industry as an example, Wong noted that most successful movies in Hong Kong rely on music producers from Japan, CGI technologies from South Korea, and actors from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. “The potential success in the GBA (Greater Bay Area) might be the same in that sense. Diversity is key,”Wong said. Rocco Yim, leader and key architect of Rocco Design Architects Ltd; Kevin Lee, founder and CEO of Redspots Creative (HK) Co Ltd; Elaine Shiu, founder and chief brand officer of Ejj Holding Ltd; and Jeff Tung, senior project director of New World Development Co, took part in a panel discussion titled Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era. All of them showcased the latest innovations from their companies and shared their thoughts on what the future holds for companies given the opportunities brought about by the growth of the Bay Area. Lee from Redspots Creative demonstrated 3D video production and augmented reality and virtual reality interactive technologies, products and platforms, as well as motion-capture and facial-expression-capture technologies. Shiu from Ejj Holdings shared examples of fashion accessories produced using 3D printing technologies. Shiu said her customers are often amazed by the fact that accessories can now be made using 3D printing. She went on to explain that productivity is improved and the design progress is more flexible with such technology. The whole production process is more environmentally friendly too, she said. “I am proud and delighted to find out Hong Kong designers and their brands received support from the GBA and are gaining more popularity in the area. 3D printing technology is not commonly available in China for fashion jewelry production yet, so there are a lot of opportunities to explore there,” she added. Tung from New World Development showcased the latest technologies used in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, such as the wave energy demonstrator, a green education tool that is able to produce electricity; and smart light poles, which can perform multiple task, including providing Wi-Fi and electricity for large public events. Yim from Rocco Design Architects said technologies such as 3D modeling and other related software allow designers to convert the ideas in their mind to quantifiable graphics, which is something not possible previously. However, he noted that technologies should not “control everything”. “Technologies should only be used as tools and platforms that enhance performance. I believe designs should come from the human mind and creativity, not computers,” Yim said. Addressing the issues of how Hong Kong people’s creativity levels compared with their counterparts in the Bay Area, Lee said that while the markets in China are bigger, Hong Kong designers have more exposure to the global world and are able to “learn from the best” from both the Eastern and Western worlds. “Creativity is in Hong Kong people’s blood,” he said. Yim said Hong Kong and the Bay Area are very different, but each has its own advantages. “For example, Hong Kong is limited in terms of land resources. But it is exactly because of this limitation, local designers are able to, or you might say are forced to, come up with unique designs that could only be seen in this city.” Shiu said that the Bay Area is a bridge that connects local designers to Chinese mainland markets. Hui Cheuk-kuen, a professor of the Hang Seng University, concluded the event by wishing the Bay Area prosperity, and said he looks forward to next year’s award ceremony.
2019-09-06The ASEAN summit on June 22 and 23 in Bangkok reached consensus on a number of key issues that analysts say will bring the bloc closer together and make it an “agenda setter”. Leaders attending the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit emphasized “ASEAN centrality” — advancing and implementing policies that are based on regional interest. In a statement issued after the regional meeting, the leaders of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining ASEAN centrality and unity in our community-building efforts and engagement with external partners”. Mustafa Izzuddin, research fellow at National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies, told China Daily that ASEAN centrality “underscored the importance of making the regional organization more people-centric and people-friendly”. Herman Joseph Kraft, executive director of the Manila-based Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, said promoting ASEAN centrality is about making the regional bloc “an agenda setter for multilateral agreements”. Kraft said ASEAN will also serve as a platform for discussions of broader issues, in addition to those that only concern the Southeast Asian region. He cited as an example the call by the ASEAN leaders for the immediate conclusion of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free trade agreement. ASEAN led the formation of the RCEP in 2012 and was supported by six other countries: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. If completed, it will be the largest multilateral trade deal in history, accounting for about one-third of the global economy. But negotiations over the trade pact stalled after some countries were reluctant to slash tariffs. Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Thailand’s prime minister and ASEAN summit chairman, said at a media briefing that ASEAN hopes negotiations on the agreement can be concluded by the end of this year, since it would help Southeast Asian leaders manage uncertainties in the region. Kavi Chongkittavorn, senior fellow at the Bangkok-based Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University, said the conclusion of RCEP talks after more than six years of negotiations would allow the bloc to “send a strong message to the world that free trade and multilateralism are still alive and well”. Siriwan Chutikamoltham, academic director of the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, praised ASEAN’s support for conclusion of negotiations on the free trade agreement. She said the RCEP would expand trade, help boost ASEAN economic growth and push back against trade protectionism. But Siriwan said she opposes “a hasty deal”. “Some sticky points of the RCEP, such as environmental protection, need careful analysis and negotiation. Many ASEAN nations depend on agriculture and fisheries that are so vulnerable to environmental degradation,” she said. The Southeast Asian leaders also published their own position on the Indo-Pacific strategy — a global security and trade concept that encompasses Asia, Africa and the Pacific and Indian oceans — and adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN. The Bangkok Declaration was drafted on March 5 amid reports that Southeast Asian nations are among the biggest sources of plastic products that pollute oceans. ASEAN leaders have committed to reducing marine pollution and to implementing regional and local action plans to address the growing waste problem. Izzuddin of National University of Singapore said it is time for ASEAN to “do something more concerted and coordinated in curbing marine pollution, which is a public health issue”. Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the Philippines-based ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, said the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration will not only affect ASEAN’s marine environment but also other seas and oceans worldwide. Thai Prime Minister Prayut, in his news briefing, said the regional bloc’s outlook on the Indo-Pacific strategy is based on ASEAN’s view that the Indo-Pacific region should be seen as a region of cooperation, development and prosperity. Prayut said ASEAN leaders agreed to develop deeper relations with external partners, with ASEAN “playing a central and strategic role” in the Indo-Pacific region.
2019-07-02Being at different development stages, the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must form partnerships based on real understanding to achieve inclusive and sustainable economies, said speakers at an international forum. The level of prosperity should not be measured by the total growth of a country, but by the living quality of the poorest 40 percent, said Supachai Panitchpakdi, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and former director-general of the World Trade Organization. Speaking during the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership and Partnership Forum held in Bangkok from June 23 to 24, Supachai said ASEAN countries need to unite to develop strong rules of law and a peaceful society. He added that partnerships will help achieve the 17 sustainable development goals listed by the United Nations. The SDGs address issues including the eradication of extreme poverty, halting deforestation, promoting gender equality and reducing conflict. Thailand is this year’s chair of ASEAN, a regional bloc formed by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines. “Trade tension is something that is going to have a negative impact on the global trade system and economic growth. ASEAN will also suffer from it because it is an open economy,” said Supachai. Maintaining close cooperation will be effective for the bloc to cope with the fast-changing situation, he added. Held in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the forum was jointly organized by Kingsley Strategic Institute in Malaysia, ASEAN Business Advisory Council, ASEAN Studies Centre of Chulalongkorn University, and Bangkok-based organizations Nation-Building Institute and Asia Centre. China Daily was the media partner of the forum. Under the theme Building Partnership for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN, around 300 representatives from government, business, academic, think tanks and civil society gathered to discuss challenges and strategic issues facing the region. Topics included sustainable development, the young generation, the digital economy and connectivity. ALSO READ: CICA members call for sustainable development in Asia “We have to fulfill the AEC as much as possible,” said Supachai, referring to the ASEAN Economic Community. He noted that more work is required throughout the region to eliminate trade barriers. With about 6,000 non-tariff measures in ASEAN, governments need to expose themselves and create a better business environment, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. The AEC was formally established in 2015 to promote economic integration and enhance the region’s global competitiveness as a whole. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Thailand’s minister of digital economy and society, said that through greater cooperation and sustainability in ASEAN, regional development will become more vibrant. Connectivity in transportation and digital infrastructure will also become stronger, he added. “Time is on our side,” said Pichet. “Transformation is the key word. It rests upon all ASEAN economies to define what sort of transformation each and every ASEAN member is going through, which is very crucial.” Pichet said his ministry is gearing up for a digital Thailand through the SIGMA framework, which focuses on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, digital government, digital manpower and digital applications. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, chairman of Nation-Building Institute, said governments must prioritize issues concerning sustainable and inclusive development. He added that partnerships among ASEAN members require more than collaboration, cooperation and coordination, which is why leaderships and management can promote integration and synergy. “The public, private and people sectors working toward integration in the sense of partnership could produce marvelous results,” said Kriengsak. Michael Yeoh, president of Kingsley Strategic Institute said the digital economy will drive the future growth of ASEAN. “With the growth of the internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, ASEAN needs to make a quantum leap to compete in the digital era,” he said. Asia will be the main driver of global growth over the coming decade, and ASEAN can take advantage of this phenomenon, said Arin Jira, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council. He said ASEAN should engage in regional partnerships through cooperation frameworks like Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – a free trade agreement between ASEAN and six of its FTA partners including China. The RCEP is expected to conclude negotiations this year. A better connected ASEAN is needed for the future of the young generation, improving areas like physical transport and digital technology, said Suthiphand Chirathivat, executive director of the ASEAN Studies Center and professor emeritus of economics at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. The young generation in ASEAN spends an average of six hours and four minutes online daily, with 61 percent of time spent on leisure, in comparison to 39 percent on work, according to a 2018 survey of 64,000 ASEAN citizens by the World Economic Forum.
2019-06-25ASEAN countries need to work together to unleash the potential of technology to develop the digital economy, create new business opportunities and spur regional growth. This was discussed by speakers at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable panel session in Bangkok on June 24, as part of the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership and Partnership Forum. Held on June 23-24 in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the forum was organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute in Malaysia, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, the ASEAN Studies Center of Chulalongkorn University, and Bangkok-based organizations Nation-Building Institute and Asia Centre. The forum’s theme was Building Partnerships for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN. New technologies such as 5G will create opportunities for the ASEAN digital economy, said Dar Wong, executive vice-president of the ASEAN-China Commerce Association. ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a regional group comprising 10 member countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam. Thailand is the chair of ASEAN this year. “ASEAN cannot deny that it will be influenced by 5G,” said Wong, adding that with the rolling out of the new generation of mobile technology, everything, from work environment to security systems, will become obsolete and people should be aware of new things to emerge soon. “We are in an age where we control the machines by artificial intelligence and other solutions, but with 5G, we will control the robots and then the robots will control the machines,” said Wong, referring to the panel’s theme: ASEAN in the Age of Disruption – Wiring Up ASEAN for the Digital Economy. Jason Chiu, founder and CEO of Hong Kong tech startup Cherrypicks, said ASEAN countries need to cooperate internally and externally, not just for technology advancement but more importantly for the construction of infrastructure. Taking, for example, the idea of smart cities, Chiu said the concept is not about technology only, but about citizens and data. “A lot of technologies are available today, yet legal systems facilitating infrastructure and human behavior, consumer mindset and society are not ready yet,” said Chiu, whose company is working on sensor networks for airports, subways, railways and shopping malls, to generate location big data and make such venues smarter in Hong Kong. “We need to learn from others, developing what is relevant and suitable for ASEAN to find its own blueprint … ASEAN countries should work together as a region,” said Chiu, noting that China’s Belt and Road Initiative can also be a platform for joint cooperation on both hard and digital infrastructure. Moderating the session, Barbara Meynert, senior adviser of Hong Kong supply chain and logistics conglomerate Fung Group, said there are tremendous opportunities for ASEAN for the growth of the digital economy. “ASEAN is an important economy as it ranks third in the world in terms of population, sixth in GDP and fourth in trade value. But ASEAN is not yet a digital economy, it is only emerging,” said Meynert, noting the digital sector’s contribution to ASEAN’s GDP is still relatively low compared with those of China, Europe and the United States. From the payments perspective, ASEAN is a very dynamic market, said Laetitia Moncarz, director for payments markets, ASEAN region, at the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a global financial messaging platform based in Belgium. Moncarz said the region’s high GDP growth, rising megacities and large number of tech-savvy young people make it an attractive market for the payment industry, especially when it comes to technology. Moncarz said many ASEAN countries are already participating in, or considering using, SWIFT’s Global Payment Innovation (GPI) platform, launched to improve the cross-border payment experience. Around 50 percent of the millions of payments globally under GPI are credited end-to-end within 30 minutes, she said. For the banking industry, pain has already been felt due to the emergence of fintech, said Eddie Hu, chief representative for Malaysia and Thailand at Hong Kong-based Chong Sing Holdings FinTech Group. In a report by global advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, top banking executives fear that more than 20 percent of financial services business will be under threat from fintech by 2020. In addition, Hu said traditional banks in ASEAN, looking to offer a seamless business experience, can face difficulties getting licensed to enter other countries in the region. He hopes that ASEAN – to catch up with fintech, in a paradigm shift for the future – can develop a shared financial world for everyone. Noting that China spends more on semiconductor imports, mainly from the US, than on oil, Pindar Wong, chairman of internet financial infrastructure consultancy VeriFi (Hong Kong), said China and the region are facing a “silicon shock”, which is going to take 10 to 15 years to resolve. “The accusations (against Chinese telecommunications giant) Huawei are basically unsubstantiated as there is no evidence to say there is surveillance,” said Wong, noting that opportunities for ASEAN lie in technology transfer from China to the region and developing the region to be a manufacturing base for 5G equipment. Wong said ASEAN needs to develop as a network of nations and create technical protocols to address the cross-border challenges it faces. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, adviser to Thailand’s minister of foreign affairs, said the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while bringing much change through innovative technology, does not provide a lot of room for mistakes, and that is why people need to be careful about the negative effects. She spoke of the importance of connecting people at risk of being left behind by the rapid development of the digital economy, and paying heed to the job displacement caused by technology and automation. Speaking of the digital economy’s impact on poverty, Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, said previous industrial revolutions resulted in fewer working days per week, which shows that social problems accompanying technological development can eventually be solved. “Tech itself can include everybody – it is up to the leadership to make it good (for society),” said Cherrypick’s Chiu, on how technology can contribute to ASEAN’s inclusive development. Beneficiaries of the digital economy are the users rather than the creators, as increasing numbers of people gain access to and make use of technology to get information and grow business, said Yose Rizal Damuri, head of the economics department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Jakarta-based think tank. “ASEAN states should open their doors for the investment from China, so they can use the platforms to create benefits for the economy,” said Yose. “It is time for ASEAN to come up with a set of rules, institutions and standards that could define the role of government in the cross-border digital economy,” he said. Yose said issues brought by the digital economy should be dealt with internationally, including discussing principles related to e-commerce in the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the proposed free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN members and six of their FTA partners – China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
2019-06-25Malaysia forum: Smaller countries may suffer if US-China tensions persist Free trade is the basis for the world economy and shared prosperity is in the interest of all, according to speakers at a forum in Malaysia last week. Asia can play an increasingly important role by coming together for sustainable development that helps solve man-made geopolitical and geoeconomic problems. "In this highly globalized world, we believe that free as well as fair trade must be the touchstone in all international commercial and trade dealings," said Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia's minister of economic affairs at an awards ceremony of the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit in Kuala Lumpur. He said that amid the trade tension between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, smaller economies including Malaysia can expect to suffer consequences. Mohd Hatta Ramli, Malaysia's deputy minister of entrepreneur development, said: "The global trade and tech wars do not benefit anyone or any country and we will all lose, … we should look at win-win outcomes." Organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council, the event brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the theme, The Future of Asia in a New Era of Disruption and Trade Wars. China Daily was a media partner of the event. "The world now faces several geopolitical and geoeconomic threats, but I guess all the problems are created by men ourselves, so there should be solutions," Hatta told the audience on Thursday. "We should create a society, a country and a region that are safe for shared prosperity." Citing an HSBC report that Asian countries like China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea will be among the world's top 10 biggest economies by 2030, Hatta said Asia is full of economic potential due to its large number of young people and the rapid development of digitalization. Globalization is the right way going forward, and Asia's future will need cooperation and partnership, said Su Ge, chair of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. "Trade wars serve nobody's interest,… cooperation is the only correct way for Sino-American trade-and it will be good for the two countries, to Asia, and in a sense, good to the world," said Su, also former president of the China Institute of International Studies. Noting President Xi Jinping's visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on June 20-21 ahead of the G20 Osaka summit, Su said China is committed to regional stability through peace and negotiation. Speaking of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Su said it is about generating more cooperation in the region for mutual benefit. Minister Azmin Ali called for cooperation among ASEAN member states and under international initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, or the BRI. This view was echoed by Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, who said trade is what ties the world together. "Conflicts usually won't last long. … We have different systems, values, cultures, but one thing is that we all live economic lives-that is the thing that ties us together and that is why trade can tie us all together," said Goh. Cultivating the right attitude in society is also important for making use of connectivity, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Noting that China has invested greatly in high-speed rail infrastructure, Oh said one of the main reasons for the country's rapid growth is its people's attitude of entrepreneurship. "China continues to be very eager to link up a large part of Asia," he said, referring to increasing investment under the BRI. "In a country like Malaysia, we do need more railway systems," said Oh. "Under BRI, China could indeed assist us both financially and technically to build such networks," said Oh. "We also welcome more Chinese investment in ports." The BRI can also help bridge development gaps among nations. "Asia is facing digital disruption and technological transformation on a scale that perhaps has never been seen before in the region," said Michael Yeoh, organizing chairman and president of Kingsley Strategic Institute. "However, while some parts of Asia are undergoing the fourth industrial revolution, some regions have not even seen the second industrial revolution." To bridge the huge development gap, Yeoh said it is important to emphasize and prioritize sustainable development, by resolving issues such as income, inequality, investment, innovation and infrastructure. While the advancement of digital technology can be part of future solutions addressing global and regional issues, Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, said it is also important to pay heed to the growing potential negative side effects. These include personal and corporate reputational risk, health issues, cyberbullying, and threats to intellectual property rights.
2019-06-24Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change and governments need to put more emphasis on developing a green economy in order to move toward sustainable development. This was an underlying theme at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable titled Envisioning and Promoting the Green Economy: Towards a Sustainable and Transformative Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. “Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population but much less than half of its natural resources. Asia is also the fastest-growing source of new greenhouse gas emissions,” said Alexandra Boakes Tracy, president of Hong Kong-based Hoi Ping Ventures, noting the need for the region to adopt cleaner and more efficient modes of development for lasting economic progress. She said the transition toward a green economy is clearly on the way, as governments across the world are trying to adopt policies that foster green growth and align economic strategies with a need to respond to problems like climate change and constraints on water and other resources. The roundtable was held during the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit, which was organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council. The summit brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the future of Asia in a new era of disruption and trade conflicts. Tracy said the efforts made by the region are already transforming the financial market and creating huge demand for green technology and sustainable development. But Asia needs to invest more to tackle climate change, she said, as current spending is still much less than what is needed. The Asian Development Bank forecasts that Asia, to keep pace with climate change and economic growth, needs to invest US$1.7 trillion a year in infrastructure until 2030, with 16 percent of those funds required for climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Mitigation costs alone will amount to US$200 billion annually. Asia has significant resources for a sustainable green economy, said R. Puvaneswari, CEO of MYBiomass, a unit of the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology. Compared with an estimated 423 million tons of biomass available in the United States, Southeast Asia has 230 million tons of biomass, while China has 300 million tons of crop straw wastes and 300 million tons of forestry wastes, said Puvaneswari, noting Asia’s huge potential for developing the sustainable carbon resource that is able to replace petrochemical resources and generate abundant derivative products. No matter how natural resources, technologies or capital can be used for development, the key is that none of these investments end up creating conflicts among people, but rather unity and social cohesion, said Denison Jayasooria, chairman of the Asian Solidarity Economy Council. He said people should be at the center of green economy. Citing findings from a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Jayasooria said the unequal distribution of wealth and resources remains a serious issue in the region. Besides the existence of poverty itself, examples include inefficient use of fuel for cooking. While companies in Asia need to adapt to green development, innovative technology, social protection measures and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Jayasooria said they also must be human-rights friendly, making sure that their businesses are operating in a sustainable way and adding value to society. Social enterprises can be game-changers in addressing sustainability globally, said Yasmin Rasyid, program director of Social Entrepreneurship (MasSIVE) at the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), a government-backed entrepreneur hub. MaGIC now has a public online platform where companies in Malaysia can check if they meet the standard and requirements to be listed online as a social enterprise. “The Malaysian government has strong faith that changing social entrepreneurship is critical,” Rasyid said. “This is not just about doing good to people, but about making companies adopt a more social and environmentally driven model, and how we can create a future where entrepreneurs are more conscious about what their business is to the society and environment.” Different countries in Asia have been implementing various measures to promote green finance, such as China’s goal of establishing a green financial system, Malaysia’s Green Technology Master Plan, and Bangladesh’s financial support for environmental and social businesses. But Tracy from Hoi Ping Ventures said the engagement of the private sector and the contribution of millennials, who are willing to put more money into sustainable investment, should be better recognized. “This will help establish a template which other people can follow, showing to the market that this can work and people can make money from it,” said Tracy, noting there are many financial institutions investing proactively to be greener and launching new products to meet the increasing demand. Moderator for the session was Mohamed Iqbal Rawther, group deputy chairman of property development company Farlim Group (Malaysia).
2019-06-21With Asia playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, the region’s countries are being urged to work together for robust and sustainable future growth. “The world now faces several geopolitical and geo-economic threats, but I guess all the problems are created by men ourselves, so there should be solutions,” said Mohd Hatta Ramli, Malaysia’s deputy minister of entrepreneur development. “We should create a society, a country and a region that is safe for shared prosperity.” Citing an HSBC report that Asian countries like China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea will be among the world’s top 10 biggest economies by 2030, Hatta said Asia is full of economic potential due to its large number of young people and the rapid development of digitalization. “The global trade and tech wars do not benefit anyone or any country and we will all lose … we should look at win-win outcomes,” he said. Hatta was speaking at the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. Organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council, with the support of China Daily, the event brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the theme The Future of Asia in a New Era of Disruption and Trade Wars. “Malaysia is trying to position entrepreneurship as a lead contributor to GDP by 2030,” said Hatta. He noted that small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 37 percent of GDP at present, seen growing to more than 50 percent by 2020. A national entrepreneurship policy is expected to be launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on July 11, according to Hatta, who believes the new policy will be conducive to promoting innovation and creating more opportunities for youth. “Asia is facing digital disruption and technological transformation on a scale that perhaps has never been seen before in the region,” said Michael Yeoh, organizing chairman and president of Kingsley Strategic Institute. “However, while some parts of Asia are undergoing the fourth industrial revolution, some regions have not even seen the second industrial revolution.” To bridge the huge development gap, Yeoh said it is important to emphasize and prioritize sustainable development, by resolving issues such as income, inequality, investment, innovation and infrastructure. While the advancement of digital technology can be part of future solutions addressing global and regional issues, Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, said it is also important to pay heed to the growing potential negative side effects. These include personal and corporate reputational risk, health issues, cyberbullying, and threats to intellectual property rights. “The four ‘E’s will have a big impact on Asia’s future growth – economy, environment, employment and energy,” said Walsh. Globalization is the right way going forward, and Asia’s future will need cooperation and partnership, said Su Ge, chair of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. “Trade wars serve nobody’s interest … cooperation is the only correct way for Sino-American trade – and it will be good for the two countries, to Asia, and in a sense, good to the world,” said Su, also former president of the China Institute of International Studies. Noting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 20-21 ahead of attending the G20 Osaka summit, Su said China is committed to regional stability through peace and negotiation. Su said it is necessary for Asian countries to jointly take regional integration to a higher level, including promoting negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership multilateral free trade pact. Speaking of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Su said it is not just about China helping others, but also about generating more cooperation in the region for mutual benefit. This view was echoed by Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, saying trade is what ties the world together. “Conflicts usually won’t last long … We have different systems, values, cultures, but one thing is that we all live economic lives – that is the thing that ties us together and that is why trade can tie us all together,” said Goh. For a small country like Brunei, improving infrastructure and enhancing connectivity is key for future development, as it can allow the country to export and transport its goods to more countries more cheaply, said Shazali Sulaiman, partner at consultancy KPMG Brunei. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ ASEAN Economic Community was formally established in 2015 to promote regional economic integration and improve competitiveness, but Sulaiman said there are still many challenges ahead to connect the member states. For example, visa-free travel in ASEAN countries for people who live in the region has not been fully realized yet, Sulaiman said, adding that tourism connectivity is important for regional economic connectivity and development. ASEAN is a regional bloc comprising 10 Southeast Asian nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Cultivating the right attitude in society is also important to making use of connectivity, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Noting that China has invested greatly in high-speed rail infrastructure, Oh said one of the main reasons for the country’s rapid growth is its people’s attitude of entrepreneurship. “China continues to be very eager to link up a large part of Asia,” he said, referring to increasing investment under the BRI. “In a country like Malaysia, we do need more railway systems,” said Oh. Though China and Malaysia agreed to proceed with the East Coast Rail Link, he said more railway networks need to be built within the country, as well as linking it with Singapore to meet the high demand of cross-border travel. “Under BRI, China could indeed assist us both financially and technically to build such networks,” said Oh. “We also welcome more Chinese investment in ports.” Asia needs to adopt a cleaner and more efficient development mode for sustainable economic development, said Alexandra Boakes Tracy, president of Hong Kong-based Hoi Ping Ventures. She was speaking at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable panel session themed Envisioning and Promoting the Green Economy: Towards a Sustainable and Transformative Asia. “Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population but much less than half of its natural resources. Asia is also the fastest-growing source of new greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tracy, adding that regional financial institutions are already investing proactively in green finance. A ceremony was held alongside the summit to present the Asia Business Leadership Excellence Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards to recognize the efforts of entrepreneurs from around Asia. Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia’s minister of economic affairs, said amid the trade conflict between China and the US, the world’s two largest economies, smaller economies including Malaysia can be expected to suffer consequences. “In this highly globalized world, we believe that free as well as fair trade must be the touchstone in all international commercial and trade dealings,” said Azmin, who called for cooperation among ASEAN member states and under international initiatives like the BRI. “While the BRI will help bridge the connectivity gap in the region, even more importantly it will open doors to the great expansion of global trade, enabling economies in the region to mutually grow and prosper,” said Azmin.
2019-06-212019年9月6日 香港:首届“粤港澳大湾区杰出文创产业颁奖典礼”今日在香港举行,近200名来自政商学界的高端人士出席。 “粤港澳大湾区杰出文创产业奖”创办于2019年,旨在表扬优秀大湾区优秀的文创企业及机构。 评选活动由香港恒生大学主办,中国日报协办。活动根据评奖指标,以新闻及互联网信息服务、内容创作生产及创意设计服务等七大文创产业类别,在140家入围企业中评选出20家获奖企业,包括:迅雷网络技术、城市当代舞蹈团、华强方特、橙天嘉禾娱乐、三联书店、凤凰卫视、南方出版传媒、麦肯世界、严迅奇建筑师事务所、丝路视觉、阅文集团、海洋公园、中华商务、深圳市漫步者、英皇娱乐、香港演艺学院和微辣文化等。 香港艺术发展局主席王英伟出席本次活动并致辞,他说:文创产业做到“和而不同”,便能走出一条康庄大道。创意产业讲求创新,“不同”不代表会互相排斥,而是会令业界更加和谐美丽。业界要用“和而不同”的概念,发展粤港澳大湾区的文创产业。 恒生大学校长何顺文在致辞中指出,文创产业对经济实力发展有举足轻重的作用。可以预见,文创产业的发展与大湾区的联合,使香港身处两大机遇洪流之中。 香港恒生大学校董兼校务委员会主席郑慕智表示,文化创意产业合作是粤港澳大湾区发展的关键驱动器,文化创意产业是香港迈上高增值、多元化经济的新动力。在全球化的架构下,粤港澳大湾区传统制造业面临很大挑战,更需要利用文化创意产业提高竞争力,促进第三产业及高端服务业的发展。粤港澳大湾区要进一步探讨促进文化产业合作,取长补短。 评选委员会由香港恒生大学文化及创意产业文学士课程主任许焯权牵头,并由澳门理工学院艺术高等学校校长兼文化创意产业教学暨研究中心主任徐秀菊、上海戏剧学院院长黄昌勇、南方科技大学党委副书记兼深圳大学文化产业研究院院长李凤亮,和北京大学文化产业研究院副院长向勇组成。 在随后进行的题为“文创湾区:数字时代的文创创意产业发展新趋势”的专题研讨会中,四位演讲嘉宾围绕主题进行讨论。编导出身的红点子创作(香港)有限公司创办人暨行政总裁李嘉俊,近年来抛开传统,大力研究发展AR及VR技术,并应用于媒体业务中。他为颁奖典礼带来了一位“虚拟主播”,并表示,香港拥有国际大都市的天然优势,再加上过去几十年间作为西方和东方交汇之地,潜移默化地吸收着中西合璧的创意元素,这是香港与生俱来的优势。如何借助粤港澳大湾区和“一带一路”倡议的东风令本土的创作人进一步发挥这一优势,是一个需要持续关注的话题。 时尚饰品品牌Ejj珠宝的创办人兼创意总监邵燕宁认为,在时尚产业领域,內地和香港都积极提供了一系列孵化项目的政策支持。然而相较于直接派发资金,商业配对服务和办公场地的支持性政策,在帮助香港本土设计师开辟大陆市场,特别是了解粤港澳大湾区框架内珠江三角洲九座城市的不同文化方面卓有成效。 新世界发展有限公司提倡创意设计及建筑新思维,其项目管理部高级项目总监董正纲坦言,新世界集希望以文化、科技及国际视野,在大湾区建设地标,冀打造大湾区成为文化硅谷区,促使香港乃至湾区形成孵化科技、创意及文化产业的中心。 作为香港本地资深建筑师,严迅奇建筑师事务所有限公司主持严迅奇在西九故宫博物馆项目中担任重要角色,他认为,科技可以将建筑提升到另一个层次,但建筑始终是一个以人为主导的活动,而科技只不过是协助的工具,我们需要更加仔细地思考人和科技的关系。(完) 有关香港恒生大学文化及创意产业(荣誉)文学士学位课程 香港恒生大学文化及创意产业(荣誉)文学士学位课程,致力培育学生成为社会创新与知识型经济发展的新动力。课程提供多方位的综合培训,向学生传授文创产业的专业知识和理论、商业基础知识,更着重语言能力和沟通技巧的培训,透过多元化的教学模式,学生学习如何以现代观念和世界视野了解文创产业。课程同时鼓励学生探索文化和创意,从跨学科视野,增进文创产业发展及运作的知识。 有关中国日报 中国日报是中国国家英文日报,创刊于1981年,拥有报纸、网站、移动客户端、脸谱、推特、微博、微信、电子报等十余种媒介平台,全媒体用户总数超过2亿。截至2019年8月,我报微博粉丝数超过4450万;微信订阅人数581万,客户端全球下载用户超过2200万,是我国唯一下载量过千万的英文新闻客户端;脸谱账号粉丝数超过7900万,位居全球媒体账号粉丝数第二位;推特账号粉丝数420万。 媒体垂询: 洪梦求 小姐 电话:(852) 3465 5427 电邮:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-062019年9月6日 香港:首屆「粵港澳大灣區傑出文創產業頒獎典禮」今日在香港舉行,近200名来自政商學界的高端人士出席。 「粵港澳大灣區傑出文創產業獎」創辦于2019年,旨在表揚優秀大灣區優秀的文創企業及機構。 評選活動由香港恆生大學主辦,中國日報協辦。活動根據評獎指標,以新聞及互聯網信息服務、內容創作生產及創意設計服務等七大文創產業類別,在140家入圍企業中評選出20家獲獎企業,包括:迅雷網絡技術、城市當代舞蹈團、華強方特、橙天嘉禾娛樂、三聯書店、鳳凰衛視、南方出版傳媒、麥肯世界、嚴迅奇建築師事務所、絲路視覺、閱文集團、海洋公園、中華商務、深圳市漫步者、英皇娛樂、香港演藝學院和微辣文化等。 香港藝術發展局主席王英偉出席本次活動并致辭,他說:文創產業做到「和而不同」,便能走出一條康莊大道。創意產業講求創新,「不同」不代表會互相排斥,而是會令業界更加和諧美麗。業界要用「和而不同」的概念,發展粵港澳大灣區的文創產業。 恆生大學校長何順文在致辭中指出,文創產業對經濟實力發展有舉足輕重的作用。可以預見,文創產業的發展與大灣區的聯合,使香港身處兩大機遇洪流之中。 香港恆生大學校董兼校務委員會主席鄭慕智表示,文化創意產業合作是粵港澳大灣區發展的關鍵驅動器,文化創意產業是香港邁上高增值、多元化經濟的新動力。在全球化的架構下,粵港澳大灣區傳統製造業面臨很大挑戰,更需要利用文化創意產業提高競爭力,促進第三產業及高端服務業的發展。粵港澳大灣區要進一步探討促進文化產業合作,取長補短。 評選委員會由香港恒生大學文化及創意產業文學士課程主任許焯權牽頭,並由澳門理工學院藝術高等學校校長兼文化創意產業教學暨研究中心主任徐秀菊、上海戲劇學院院長黃昌勇、南方科技大學黨委副書記兼深圳大學文化產業研究院院長李鳳亮,和北京大學文化產業研究院副院長向勇組成。 在隨後進行的題為「文創灣區:數字時代的文創創意產業發展新趨勢」的專題研討會中,四位演講嘉賓圍繞主題進行討論。編導出身的紅點子創作(香港)有限公司創辦人暨行政總裁李嘉俊,近年來拋開傳統,大力研究發展AR及VR技術,並應用於媒體業務中。他為頒獎典禮帶來了一位「虛擬主播」,并表示,香港擁有國際大都市的天然優勢,再加上過去幾十年間作為西方和東方交匯之地,潛移默化地吸收著中西合璧的創意元素,這是香港與生俱來的優勢。如何借助粵港澳大灣區和「一帶一路」倡議的東風令本土的創作人進一步發揮這一優勢,是一個需要持續關注的話題。 時尚飾品品牌Ejj珠寶的創辦人兼創意總監邵燕寧認為,在時尚產業領域,內地和香港都積極提供了一系列孵化項目的政策支持。然而相較於直接派發資金,商業配對服務和辦公場地的支持性政策,在幫助香港本土設計師開闢大陸市場,特別是瞭解粵港澳大灣區框架內珠江三角洲九座城市的不同文化方面卓有成效。 新世界發展有限公司提倡創意設計及建築新思維,其項目管理部高級項目總監董正綱坦言,新世界集希望以文化、科技及國際視野,在大灣區建設地標,冀打造大灣區成為文化硅谷區,促使香港乃至灣區形成孵化科技、創意及文化產業的中心。 作為香港本地資深建築師,嚴迅奇建築師事務所有限公司主持嚴迅奇在西九故宮博物館項目中擔任重要角色,他認為,科技可以将建築提升到另一個層次,但建築始終是一個以人為主導的活動,而科技只不過是協助的工具,我們需要更加仔細地思考人和科技的關係。 有關香港恒生大學文化及創意產業(榮譽)文學士學位課程 香港恒生大學文化及創意產業(榮譽)文學士學位課程,致力培育學生成為社會創新與知識型經濟發展的新動力。課程提供多方位的綜合培訓,向學生傳授文創產業的專業知識和理論、商業基礎知識,更著重語言能力和溝通技巧的培訓,透過多元化的教學模式,學生學習如何以現代觀念和世界視野了解文創產業。課程同時鼓勵學生探索文化和創意,從跨學科視野,增進文創產業發展及運作的知識。 有關中國日報 中國日報是中國國家英文日報,創刊於1981年,擁有報紙、網站、移動客戶端、臉譜、推特、微博、微信、電子報等十餘種媒介平台,全媒體用戶總數超過2億。截至2019年8月,我報微博粉絲數超過4450萬;微信訂閱人數581萬,用戶端全球下載用戶超過2200萬,是我國唯一下載量過千萬的英文新聞用戶端;臉譜帳號粉絲數超過7900萬,位居全球媒體帳號粉絲數第二位;推特帳號粉絲數420萬。 媒體垂詢: 洪夢求 小姐 電話:(852) 3465 5427 電郵:melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-06Elaine Shiu, chief brand officer of Ejj Jewelry, usually draws flashes of inspiration for new jewelry design whenever she’s in the air en route to her factory in Italy. With her mobile phone in airplane mode and no other distraction standing in the way, the 12-ish flight hours — more often than not — offer her perfect conditions for coming up with dashing models for new art pieces. Flying in the face of an industry where consumers, especially in Hong Kong, tend to be conservative when it comes to innovation and stick to their own cup of tea all the time, Shiu’s designing talent has shifted to somewhere more broad-minded as she has spotted another market just north of the Hong Kong boundary — the nine-city cluster that, together with Hong Kong and Macao, makes up the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As southern China’s economic powerhouse, the Bay Area, with its burgeoning economy and a total population of about 70 million, boasts tremendous market potential that remains untapped for EJJ. Shiu says consumers on the Chinese mainland value and chase new jewelry designs, and are more open-minded to new technology such as 3D printing, while prices seem to be no big deal to them. Unperturbed by traditional taboos in Hong Kong’s market, Shiu can test the waters with various patterns and models in the Bay Area cities on the mainland, including fashionable Dongguan. At the same time, Ejj’s products are not only delicately designed, but also technology-driven, as a certain chunk of them are made in Italy and produced with mature 3D printing technology. It’s a bold move in the industry as many traditional consumers tend to be skeptical about the reliability of the technology and the production process and what the products are made of. Yet, they’re warmly embraced by consumers in the Bay Area as many of Ejj’s customers think highly of the new technology application, according to Shiu, who believes that 3D printing is a future trend in jewelry design. The icing on the cake for Ejj is that the design spearheaded by Shiu merges features of East and West. As “Peyton” — one artifact of such kind designed by Shiu — was inspired by the walls of China’s Forbidden City and, through Italian 3D printing technology, a Chinese knot model was forged. The golden walls carry ancient meanings, and the contrasting vivid blue background culminates in a fashionable and trendy product combining traditional Chinese and modern culture. Ejj has trained its sights on the nine-city cluster on the mainland for the next one to two years, allocating some 70 percent of its business there to take advantage of the relatively low production costs, as well as a great number of deep-pocketed consumers in the Bay Area.
2019-09-06Technology could lead the construction industry to a new stage, but technology is no more than a tool since the sector is led by human beings, Hong Kong architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee told China Daily in an interview. Architecture needs imagination, but cannot be accomplished just by imagination, he said. Yim believes technology could make some of architects’ ideas come true, he said after winning an award at Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony on Friday. “The development of technology enables us to have a concept of the design via illustrations of architecture and 3D printing models. On this basis, we can further make more studies and discuss more with others,” said Yim, founder of Rocco Design Architects Ltd. In addition, he said, technology could help produce certain elements and components when construction is underway. The architect has been responsible for the design of many iconic buildings in the city, including the International Finance Centre in Central and the Central Government Complex at the Tamar site. Yim was appointed the design architect for the Hong Kong Palace Museum in 2017. The final design for the new addition to the West Kowloon Cultural District had already been unveiled. He said all the rough design work has been completed. What is left now are details that need to be ironed out after talks with the museum curator and other involved officials. The main project of the Palace Museum began months earlier. The planned building has been likened to a vase or an ancient Chinese cauldron. “Basically, it’s a contemporary building presenting traditional culture. The material and the shape are quite contemporary. But we hope it could evoke antiquity. It is more about the temperament of the building,” Yim said. He expects the museum could “have a dialogue between generations” with other buildings in the cultural district, as there will be a comparison of “the old and the new”. Yim used to describe the Palace Museum as his most challenging museum project, considering the limited land area. To make the best use of that, he has to have the building extend up in the air. Museum designs normally have two or three floors with wider areas, while the Palace Museum in Hong Kong will be a five-story building. It will interconnect galleries on different floors and three central atriums with views of the harbor. Discussing government projects, Yim said that public space will usually be larger in these kinds of projects. For example, the government headquarters at Tamar wasted some sea views and brought more public usage right to the middle of a government complex. “I proposed to do that, and the government agreed. It turns out we succeeded and had a quite good result,” he said. The complex now has become a public thoroughfare, with lots of people going through, and is a link between the waterfront and the inner city.
2019-09-06Sep 6, 2019, Hong Kong: Co-organized by Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and China Daily, the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony”, plus a panel discussion entitled “Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era”, was held in Hong Kong. Dr. Wilfred WONG Ying-wai, GBS, JP, Chairman, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, delivered the keynote address after the opening remarks. He said the cultural and creative industries should pursue “harmony in diversity”, and if they can achieve this goal, the future will be very bright for them. The cultural and creative industries have to be innovative and diversified, but that don’t have to mean they are mutually exclusive, they can develop in harmony. That’s why we need the concept of “harmony in diversity” to develop cultural and creative industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Prof. Simon Shun-Man HO, President, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, said the cultural and creative industries play a decisive role in the development of economic strength. It is predictable that both industries, together with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, could provide limitless opportunities for Hong Kong. Dr. Moses Mo-Chi CHENG, OBE, GBS, GBM, Member of Board of Governors and Council Chairman, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, said the cooperation of the culture and creative industries among Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the key driver for the region’s development. Meanwhile, the cultural and creative industries bring momentum to Hong Kong to develop high-value added industries and a diversified economy. Under the globalization, the traditional manufacturing in the Bay Area is facing great challenge where cultural and creative industries are needed to boost competitiveness and fuel the growth in high-end service sector. The Bay Area needs to further promote cooperation in the cultural and creative industries and learn from each other's strong points and offset the weakness. Mr. ZHOU Li, Editorial Board Member, China Daily Group; Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, China Daily Asia Pacific said, today, cultural and creative industries have been at a stage of high-speed development. If the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area aims for a world-class city cluster, it not only requires booming economy, healthy livelihood, open innovative atmosphere, but also has to build a world leading cultural center. It relies on prospective projects and outstanding cultural enterprises. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards, launched in 2019, is in recognition of the outstanding performance of companies and organizations in the cultural and creative industry sectors in the Greater Bay Area. A total of 20 companies were selected as winners among 140 shortlisted enterprises. The awards affirm the efforts and achievements of the award-winning companies and organizations and promote public recognition and understanding of cultural and creative industries in the Greater Bay Area. The panel of judges was led by Prof. Desmond Cheuk-Kuen HUI, Director, BA-CCI Programme, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong; It comprised professors and experts, including Prof. Hsiu-Chu Hsu, Director, School of Arts, Macao Polytechnic Institute; Prof. HUANG Changyong, President, Shanghai Theatre Academy; Prof. LI Fengliang, Vice-Chairman of Council, Southern University of Science and Technology; and Prof. XIANG Yong, Vice Dean, Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University. A following panel discussion, themed “Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era”, had four distinguished speakers -- Mr Kevin LEE, Founder & CEO, Redspots Creative (HK) Company Limited; Ms. Elaine SHIU, Founder and Chief Brand officer, Ejj Holding Limited; Mr. Jeff TUNG, Senior Project Director, New World Development Company Limited; and Dr. Rocco YIM, Principal, Rocco Design Architects Associates Limited. They exchanged views and interacted with more than 200 delegates on the topic. Mr Kevin LEE said that known as an international metropolis, coupled with its unique status as a place where East meets West, Hong Kong has what it takes to make a difference in the cultural and creative industries. How to ride high on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area mega plan and the Belt and Road initiative to help local creators give the advantages to full play remains as an issue that should be closely watched. Ms. Elaine SHIU said governments from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong today have offered a whole package of incubation programs to support the development of the fashion industry. Compared with the funding support, however, the provision of business matching services and office areas helps the city’s designers to make inroads into the mainland market in a more effective manner, especially acquainting them with the different cultures of the nine neighboring cities in Guangdong across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mr. Jeff TUNG said New World Development - with its edge on culture, technology and international vision - is aimed at building the Greater Bay Area into a Silicon Valley on culture front, in an effort to facilitate Hong Kong, along with the rest ten cities within the city-cluster to be the incubation center for technology, innovation and culture. Dr. Rocco YIM said, while technology is capable of bringing engineering to the next level, it is - at the end of the day - an auxiliary tool, and engineering will always be dominated by human beings themselves. The relationship between technology and human beings is something we have to think in a more comprehensive manner. (END) About Hang Seng University of Hong Kong- BACCI The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Cultural and Creative Industries programme (BA-CCI) of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong adopts a diverse range of approaches towards understanding and analysing the industries while immersing students in the discipline through design or production of cultural and creative related products, services and businesses with local, Greater China and global perspectives. The programme encourages students to explore the meaning of culture and creativity in the ever-changing business and management contexts of industries. It will equip students with the business skills and management expertise required of business leaders and entrepreneurs in the era of creative and knowledge-based economy. About China Daily China Daily, established in 1981 as the national English-language newspaper, has developed into a multi-media information platform combining newspapers, websites and apps with a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, SinaWeibo and WeChat. It serves more than 200 million readers all over the world and is a default choice for people who read about China in English. The group plays an important role as a channel for information exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Media Contact: Ms. Melody Hong Tel: (852) 3465 5427 Email: melody@chinadailyhk.com
2019-09-06Cultural and creativity industry prizes awarded on Friday highlighted the opportunities inherent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for cooperation and greater synergies. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Cultural and Creative Industries Awards Ceremony was held in Hong Kong to promote outstanding companies and organizations in the cultural and creative industries within the Bay Area. Co-organized by Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and China Daily, the event also aimed to raise awareness of the Bay Area and facilitate a deeper understanding of the cultural and creative enterprises in the area. “The cultural and creative industry is one of the key pillars of China’s economy. Its development, combined with the continuing Bay Area movement, represents huge opportunities for both Hong Kong and Chinese mainland,” said Simon S M Ho, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong president, during the opening remarks. Moses Cheng Mo-chi, a consultant at Hong Kong law firm Messrs. P.C. Woo & Co, added during his own opening remarks that the Hong Kong government has been advancing development in innovative and cultural industries in recent years, while at the same time facilitating collaboration with China to further push these industries forward. The comments were echoed by Zhou Li, editorial board member of China Daily Group and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, who said he saw a lot of potential in the cultural and creative industry. The Bay Area represents “natural progress that makes sense”, said Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, in his keynote address for the awards ceremony. “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has three different currencies, taxing systems and legal infrastructures. The people residing in these areas also have different cultural backgrounds,” Wong said. “Problems related to exporting issues and the falling yuan might also come into play. Because of that, to fully integrate these three places might take some time,” he added. “But I am a firm believer of ‘harmony in diversity’. We need to adopt an open mind and take benefits from the different innovative ideas.” Citing the filmmaking industry as an example, Wong noted that most successful movies in Hong Kong rely on music producers from Japan, CGI technologies from South Korea, and actors from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. “The potential success in the GBA (Greater Bay Area) might be the same in that sense. Diversity is key,”Wong said. Rocco Yim, leader and key architect of Rocco Design Architects Ltd; Kevin Lee, founder and CEO of Redspots Creative (HK) Co Ltd; Elaine Shiu, founder and chief brand officer of Ejj Holding Ltd; and Jeff Tung, senior project director of New World Development Co, took part in a panel discussion titled Cultural and Creative Bay Area: New Development Trends of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Digital Era. All of them showcased the latest innovations from their companies and shared their thoughts on what the future holds for companies given the opportunities brought about by the growth of the Bay Area. Lee from Redspots Creative demonstrated 3D video production and augmented reality and virtual reality interactive technologies, products and platforms, as well as motion-capture and facial-expression-capture technologies. Shiu from Ejj Holdings shared examples of fashion accessories produced using 3D printing technologies. Shiu said her customers are often amazed by the fact that accessories can now be made using 3D printing. She went on to explain that productivity is improved and the design progress is more flexible with such technology. The whole production process is more environmentally friendly too, she said. “I am proud and delighted to find out Hong Kong designers and their brands received support from the GBA and are gaining more popularity in the area. 3D printing technology is not commonly available in China for fashion jewelry production yet, so there are a lot of opportunities to explore there,” she added. Tung from New World Development showcased the latest technologies used in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, such as the wave energy demonstrator, a green education tool that is able to produce electricity; and smart light poles, which can perform multiple task, including providing Wi-Fi and electricity for large public events. Yim from Rocco Design Architects said technologies such as 3D modeling and other related software allow designers to convert the ideas in their mind to quantifiable graphics, which is something not possible previously. However, he noted that technologies should not “control everything”. “Technologies should only be used as tools and platforms that enhance performance. I believe designs should come from the human mind and creativity, not computers,” Yim said. Addressing the issues of how Hong Kong people’s creativity levels compared with their counterparts in the Bay Area, Lee said that while the markets in China are bigger, Hong Kong designers have more exposure to the global world and are able to “learn from the best” from both the Eastern and Western worlds. “Creativity is in Hong Kong people’s blood,” he said. Yim said Hong Kong and the Bay Area are very different, but each has its own advantages. “For example, Hong Kong is limited in terms of land resources. But it is exactly because of this limitation, local designers are able to, or you might say are forced to, come up with unique designs that could only be seen in this city.” Shiu said that the Bay Area is a bridge that connects local designers to Chinese mainland markets. Hui Cheuk-kuen, a professor of the Hang Seng University, concluded the event by wishing the Bay Area prosperity, and said he looks forward to next year’s award ceremony.
2019-09-06The ASEAN summit on June 22 and 23 in Bangkok reached consensus on a number of key issues that analysts say will bring the bloc closer together and make it an “agenda setter”. Leaders attending the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit emphasized “ASEAN centrality” — advancing and implementing policies that are based on regional interest. In a statement issued after the regional meeting, the leaders of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining ASEAN centrality and unity in our community-building efforts and engagement with external partners”. Mustafa Izzuddin, research fellow at National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies, told China Daily that ASEAN centrality “underscored the importance of making the regional organization more people-centric and people-friendly”. Herman Joseph Kraft, executive director of the Manila-based Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, said promoting ASEAN centrality is about making the regional bloc “an agenda setter for multilateral agreements”. Kraft said ASEAN will also serve as a platform for discussions of broader issues, in addition to those that only concern the Southeast Asian region. He cited as an example the call by the ASEAN leaders for the immediate conclusion of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free trade agreement. ASEAN led the formation of the RCEP in 2012 and was supported by six other countries: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. If completed, it will be the largest multilateral trade deal in history, accounting for about one-third of the global economy. But negotiations over the trade pact stalled after some countries were reluctant to slash tariffs. Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Thailand’s prime minister and ASEAN summit chairman, said at a media briefing that ASEAN hopes negotiations on the agreement can be concluded by the end of this year, since it would help Southeast Asian leaders manage uncertainties in the region. Kavi Chongkittavorn, senior fellow at the Bangkok-based Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University, said the conclusion of RCEP talks after more than six years of negotiations would allow the bloc to “send a strong message to the world that free trade and multilateralism are still alive and well”. Siriwan Chutikamoltham, academic director of the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, praised ASEAN’s support for conclusion of negotiations on the free trade agreement. She said the RCEP would expand trade, help boost ASEAN economic growth and push back against trade protectionism. But Siriwan said she opposes “a hasty deal”. “Some sticky points of the RCEP, such as environmental protection, need careful analysis and negotiation. Many ASEAN nations depend on agriculture and fisheries that are so vulnerable to environmental degradation,” she said. The Southeast Asian leaders also published their own position on the Indo-Pacific strategy — a global security and trade concept that encompasses Asia, Africa and the Pacific and Indian oceans — and adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in ASEAN. The Bangkok Declaration was drafted on March 5 amid reports that Southeast Asian nations are among the biggest sources of plastic products that pollute oceans. ASEAN leaders have committed to reducing marine pollution and to implementing regional and local action plans to address the growing waste problem. Izzuddin of National University of Singapore said it is time for ASEAN to “do something more concerted and coordinated in curbing marine pollution, which is a public health issue”. Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the Philippines-based ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, said the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration will not only affect ASEAN’s marine environment but also other seas and oceans worldwide. Thai Prime Minister Prayut, in his news briefing, said the regional bloc’s outlook on the Indo-Pacific strategy is based on ASEAN’s view that the Indo-Pacific region should be seen as a region of cooperation, development and prosperity. Prayut said ASEAN leaders agreed to develop deeper relations with external partners, with ASEAN “playing a central and strategic role” in the Indo-Pacific region.
2019-07-02Being at different development stages, the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must form partnerships based on real understanding to achieve inclusive and sustainable economies, said speakers at an international forum. The level of prosperity should not be measured by the total growth of a country, but by the living quality of the poorest 40 percent, said Supachai Panitchpakdi, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and former director-general of the World Trade Organization. Speaking during the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership and Partnership Forum held in Bangkok from June 23 to 24, Supachai said ASEAN countries need to unite to develop strong rules of law and a peaceful society. He added that partnerships will help achieve the 17 sustainable development goals listed by the United Nations. The SDGs address issues including the eradication of extreme poverty, halting deforestation, promoting gender equality and reducing conflict. Thailand is this year’s chair of ASEAN, a regional bloc formed by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines. “Trade tension is something that is going to have a negative impact on the global trade system and economic growth. ASEAN will also suffer from it because it is an open economy,” said Supachai. Maintaining close cooperation will be effective for the bloc to cope with the fast-changing situation, he added. Held in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the forum was jointly organized by Kingsley Strategic Institute in Malaysia, ASEAN Business Advisory Council, ASEAN Studies Centre of Chulalongkorn University, and Bangkok-based organizations Nation-Building Institute and Asia Centre. China Daily was the media partner of the forum. Under the theme Building Partnership for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN, around 300 representatives from government, business, academic, think tanks and civil society gathered to discuss challenges and strategic issues facing the region. Topics included sustainable development, the young generation, the digital economy and connectivity. ALSO READ: CICA members call for sustainable development in Asia “We have to fulfill the AEC as much as possible,” said Supachai, referring to the ASEAN Economic Community. He noted that more work is required throughout the region to eliminate trade barriers. With about 6,000 non-tariff measures in ASEAN, governments need to expose themselves and create a better business environment, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. The AEC was formally established in 2015 to promote economic integration and enhance the region’s global competitiveness as a whole. Pichet Durongkaveroj, Thailand’s minister of digital economy and society, said that through greater cooperation and sustainability in ASEAN, regional development will become more vibrant. Connectivity in transportation and digital infrastructure will also become stronger, he added. “Time is on our side,” said Pichet. “Transformation is the key word. It rests upon all ASEAN economies to define what sort of transformation each and every ASEAN member is going through, which is very crucial.” Pichet said his ministry is gearing up for a digital Thailand through the SIGMA framework, which focuses on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, digital government, digital manpower and digital applications. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, chairman of Nation-Building Institute, said governments must prioritize issues concerning sustainable and inclusive development. He added that partnerships among ASEAN members require more than collaboration, cooperation and coordination, which is why leaderships and management can promote integration and synergy. “The public, private and people sectors working toward integration in the sense of partnership could produce marvelous results,” said Kriengsak. Michael Yeoh, president of Kingsley Strategic Institute said the digital economy will drive the future growth of ASEAN. “With the growth of the internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, ASEAN needs to make a quantum leap to compete in the digital era,” he said. Asia will be the main driver of global growth over the coming decade, and ASEAN can take advantage of this phenomenon, said Arin Jira, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council. He said ASEAN should engage in regional partnerships through cooperation frameworks like Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – a free trade agreement between ASEAN and six of its FTA partners including China. The RCEP is expected to conclude negotiations this year. A better connected ASEAN is needed for the future of the young generation, improving areas like physical transport and digital technology, said Suthiphand Chirathivat, executive director of the ASEAN Studies Center and professor emeritus of economics at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. The young generation in ASEAN spends an average of six hours and four minutes online daily, with 61 percent of time spent on leisure, in comparison to 39 percent on work, according to a 2018 survey of 64,000 ASEAN citizens by the World Economic Forum.
2019-06-25ASEAN countries need to work together to unleash the potential of technology to develop the digital economy, create new business opportunities and spur regional growth. This was discussed by speakers at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable panel session in Bangkok on June 24, as part of the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership and Partnership Forum. Held on June 23-24 in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the forum was organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute in Malaysia, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, the ASEAN Studies Center of Chulalongkorn University, and Bangkok-based organizations Nation-Building Institute and Asia Centre. The forum’s theme was Building Partnerships for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN. New technologies such as 5G will create opportunities for the ASEAN digital economy, said Dar Wong, executive vice-president of the ASEAN-China Commerce Association. ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a regional group comprising 10 member countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam. Thailand is the chair of ASEAN this year. “ASEAN cannot deny that it will be influenced by 5G,” said Wong, adding that with the rolling out of the new generation of mobile technology, everything, from work environment to security systems, will become obsolete and people should be aware of new things to emerge soon. “We are in an age where we control the machines by artificial intelligence and other solutions, but with 5G, we will control the robots and then the robots will control the machines,” said Wong, referring to the panel’s theme: ASEAN in the Age of Disruption – Wiring Up ASEAN for the Digital Economy. Jason Chiu, founder and CEO of Hong Kong tech startup Cherrypicks, said ASEAN countries need to cooperate internally and externally, not just for technology advancement but more importantly for the construction of infrastructure. Taking, for example, the idea of smart cities, Chiu said the concept is not about technology only, but about citizens and data. “A lot of technologies are available today, yet legal systems facilitating infrastructure and human behavior, consumer mindset and society are not ready yet,” said Chiu, whose company is working on sensor networks for airports, subways, railways and shopping malls, to generate location big data and make such venues smarter in Hong Kong. “We need to learn from others, developing what is relevant and suitable for ASEAN to find its own blueprint … ASEAN countries should work together as a region,” said Chiu, noting that China’s Belt and Road Initiative can also be a platform for joint cooperation on both hard and digital infrastructure. Moderating the session, Barbara Meynert, senior adviser of Hong Kong supply chain and logistics conglomerate Fung Group, said there are tremendous opportunities for ASEAN for the growth of the digital economy. “ASEAN is an important economy as it ranks third in the world in terms of population, sixth in GDP and fourth in trade value. But ASEAN is not yet a digital economy, it is only emerging,” said Meynert, noting the digital sector’s contribution to ASEAN’s GDP is still relatively low compared with those of China, Europe and the United States. From the payments perspective, ASEAN is a very dynamic market, said Laetitia Moncarz, director for payments markets, ASEAN region, at the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a global financial messaging platform based in Belgium. Moncarz said the region’s high GDP growth, rising megacities and large number of tech-savvy young people make it an attractive market for the payment industry, especially when it comes to technology. Moncarz said many ASEAN countries are already participating in, or considering using, SWIFT’s Global Payment Innovation (GPI) platform, launched to improve the cross-border payment experience. Around 50 percent of the millions of payments globally under GPI are credited end-to-end within 30 minutes, she said. For the banking industry, pain has already been felt due to the emergence of fintech, said Eddie Hu, chief representative for Malaysia and Thailand at Hong Kong-based Chong Sing Holdings FinTech Group. In a report by global advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, top banking executives fear that more than 20 percent of financial services business will be under threat from fintech by 2020. In addition, Hu said traditional banks in ASEAN, looking to offer a seamless business experience, can face difficulties getting licensed to enter other countries in the region. He hopes that ASEAN – to catch up with fintech, in a paradigm shift for the future – can develop a shared financial world for everyone. Noting that China spends more on semiconductor imports, mainly from the US, than on oil, Pindar Wong, chairman of internet financial infrastructure consultancy VeriFi (Hong Kong), said China and the region are facing a “silicon shock”, which is going to take 10 to 15 years to resolve. “The accusations (against Chinese telecommunications giant) Huawei are basically unsubstantiated as there is no evidence to say there is surveillance,” said Wong, noting that opportunities for ASEAN lie in technology transfer from China to the region and developing the region to be a manufacturing base for 5G equipment. Wong said ASEAN needs to develop as a network of nations and create technical protocols to address the cross-border challenges it faces. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, adviser to Thailand’s minister of foreign affairs, said the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while bringing much change through innovative technology, does not provide a lot of room for mistakes, and that is why people need to be careful about the negative effects. She spoke of the importance of connecting people at risk of being left behind by the rapid development of the digital economy, and paying heed to the job displacement caused by technology and automation. Speaking of the digital economy’s impact on poverty, Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, said previous industrial revolutions resulted in fewer working days per week, which shows that social problems accompanying technological development can eventually be solved. “Tech itself can include everybody – it is up to the leadership to make it good (for society),” said Cherrypick’s Chiu, on how technology can contribute to ASEAN’s inclusive development. Beneficiaries of the digital economy are the users rather than the creators, as increasing numbers of people gain access to and make use of technology to get information and grow business, said Yose Rizal Damuri, head of the economics department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Jakarta-based think tank. “ASEAN states should open their doors for the investment from China, so they can use the platforms to create benefits for the economy,” said Yose. “It is time for ASEAN to come up with a set of rules, institutions and standards that could define the role of government in the cross-border digital economy,” he said. Yose said issues brought by the digital economy should be dealt with internationally, including discussing principles related to e-commerce in the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the proposed free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN members and six of their FTA partners – China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
2019-06-25Malaysia forum: Smaller countries may suffer if US-China tensions persist Free trade is the basis for the world economy and shared prosperity is in the interest of all, according to speakers at a forum in Malaysia last week. Asia can play an increasingly important role by coming together for sustainable development that helps solve man-made geopolitical and geoeconomic problems. "In this highly globalized world, we believe that free as well as fair trade must be the touchstone in all international commercial and trade dealings," said Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia's minister of economic affairs at an awards ceremony of the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit in Kuala Lumpur. He said that amid the trade tension between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, smaller economies including Malaysia can expect to suffer consequences. Mohd Hatta Ramli, Malaysia's deputy minister of entrepreneur development, said: "The global trade and tech wars do not benefit anyone or any country and we will all lose, … we should look at win-win outcomes." Organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council, the event brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the theme, The Future of Asia in a New Era of Disruption and Trade Wars. China Daily was a media partner of the event. "The world now faces several geopolitical and geoeconomic threats, but I guess all the problems are created by men ourselves, so there should be solutions," Hatta told the audience on Thursday. "We should create a society, a country and a region that are safe for shared prosperity." Citing an HSBC report that Asian countries like China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea will be among the world's top 10 biggest economies by 2030, Hatta said Asia is full of economic potential due to its large number of young people and the rapid development of digitalization. Globalization is the right way going forward, and Asia's future will need cooperation and partnership, said Su Ge, chair of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. "Trade wars serve nobody's interest,… cooperation is the only correct way for Sino-American trade-and it will be good for the two countries, to Asia, and in a sense, good to the world," said Su, also former president of the China Institute of International Studies. Noting President Xi Jinping's visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on June 20-21 ahead of the G20 Osaka summit, Su said China is committed to regional stability through peace and negotiation. Speaking of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Su said it is about generating more cooperation in the region for mutual benefit. Minister Azmin Ali called for cooperation among ASEAN member states and under international initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, or the BRI. This view was echoed by Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, who said trade is what ties the world together. "Conflicts usually won't last long. … We have different systems, values, cultures, but one thing is that we all live economic lives-that is the thing that ties us together and that is why trade can tie us all together," said Goh. Cultivating the right attitude in society is also important for making use of connectivity, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Noting that China has invested greatly in high-speed rail infrastructure, Oh said one of the main reasons for the country's rapid growth is its people's attitude of entrepreneurship. "China continues to be very eager to link up a large part of Asia," he said, referring to increasing investment under the BRI. "In a country like Malaysia, we do need more railway systems," said Oh. "Under BRI, China could indeed assist us both financially and technically to build such networks," said Oh. "We also welcome more Chinese investment in ports." The BRI can also help bridge development gaps among nations. "Asia is facing digital disruption and technological transformation on a scale that perhaps has never been seen before in the region," said Michael Yeoh, organizing chairman and president of Kingsley Strategic Institute. "However, while some parts of Asia are undergoing the fourth industrial revolution, some regions have not even seen the second industrial revolution." To bridge the huge development gap, Yeoh said it is important to emphasize and prioritize sustainable development, by resolving issues such as income, inequality, investment, innovation and infrastructure. While the advancement of digital technology can be part of future solutions addressing global and regional issues, Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, said it is also important to pay heed to the growing potential negative side effects. These include personal and corporate reputational risk, health issues, cyberbullying, and threats to intellectual property rights.
2019-06-24Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change and governments need to put more emphasis on developing a green economy in order to move toward sustainable development. This was an underlying theme at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable titled Envisioning and Promoting the Green Economy: Towards a Sustainable and Transformative Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. “Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population but much less than half of its natural resources. Asia is also the fastest-growing source of new greenhouse gas emissions,” said Alexandra Boakes Tracy, president of Hong Kong-based Hoi Ping Ventures, noting the need for the region to adopt cleaner and more efficient modes of development for lasting economic progress. She said the transition toward a green economy is clearly on the way, as governments across the world are trying to adopt policies that foster green growth and align economic strategies with a need to respond to problems like climate change and constraints on water and other resources. The roundtable was held during the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit, which was organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council. The summit brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the future of Asia in a new era of disruption and trade conflicts. Tracy said the efforts made by the region are already transforming the financial market and creating huge demand for green technology and sustainable development. But Asia needs to invest more to tackle climate change, she said, as current spending is still much less than what is needed. The Asian Development Bank forecasts that Asia, to keep pace with climate change and economic growth, needs to invest US$1.7 trillion a year in infrastructure until 2030, with 16 percent of those funds required for climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Mitigation costs alone will amount to US$200 billion annually. Asia has significant resources for a sustainable green economy, said R. Puvaneswari, CEO of MYBiomass, a unit of the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology. Compared with an estimated 423 million tons of biomass available in the United States, Southeast Asia has 230 million tons of biomass, while China has 300 million tons of crop straw wastes and 300 million tons of forestry wastes, said Puvaneswari, noting Asia’s huge potential for developing the sustainable carbon resource that is able to replace petrochemical resources and generate abundant derivative products. No matter how natural resources, technologies or capital can be used for development, the key is that none of these investments end up creating conflicts among people, but rather unity and social cohesion, said Denison Jayasooria, chairman of the Asian Solidarity Economy Council. He said people should be at the center of green economy. Citing findings from a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Jayasooria said the unequal distribution of wealth and resources remains a serious issue in the region. Besides the existence of poverty itself, examples include inefficient use of fuel for cooking. While companies in Asia need to adapt to green development, innovative technology, social protection measures and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Jayasooria said they also must be human-rights friendly, making sure that their businesses are operating in a sustainable way and adding value to society. Social enterprises can be game-changers in addressing sustainability globally, said Yasmin Rasyid, program director of Social Entrepreneurship (MasSIVE) at the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), a government-backed entrepreneur hub. MaGIC now has a public online platform where companies in Malaysia can check if they meet the standard and requirements to be listed online as a social enterprise. “The Malaysian government has strong faith that changing social entrepreneurship is critical,” Rasyid said. “This is not just about doing good to people, but about making companies adopt a more social and environmentally driven model, and how we can create a future where entrepreneurs are more conscious about what their business is to the society and environment.” Different countries in Asia have been implementing various measures to promote green finance, such as China’s goal of establishing a green financial system, Malaysia’s Green Technology Master Plan, and Bangladesh’s financial support for environmental and social businesses. But Tracy from Hoi Ping Ventures said the engagement of the private sector and the contribution of millennials, who are willing to put more money into sustainable investment, should be better recognized. “This will help establish a template which other people can follow, showing to the market that this can work and people can make money from it,” said Tracy, noting there are many financial institutions investing proactively to be greener and launching new products to meet the increasing demand. Moderator for the session was Mohamed Iqbal Rawther, group deputy chairman of property development company Farlim Group (Malaysia).
2019-06-21With Asia playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, the region’s countries are being urged to work together for robust and sustainable future growth. “The world now faces several geopolitical and geo-economic threats, but I guess all the problems are created by men ourselves, so there should be solutions,” said Mohd Hatta Ramli, Malaysia’s deputy minister of entrepreneur development. “We should create a society, a country and a region that is safe for shared prosperity.” Citing an HSBC report that Asian countries like China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea will be among the world’s top 10 biggest economies by 2030, Hatta said Asia is full of economic potential due to its large number of young people and the rapid development of digitalization. “The global trade and tech wars do not benefit anyone or any country and we will all lose … we should look at win-win outcomes,” he said. Hatta was speaking at the Asia Economic and Entrepreneurship Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. Organized jointly by Kingsley Strategic Institute and the Pacific Basin Economic Council, with the support of China Daily, the event brought together government leaders, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and experts from thinks tanks and civil society organizations to discuss and debate the theme The Future of Asia in a New Era of Disruption and Trade Wars. “Malaysia is trying to position entrepreneurship as a lead contributor to GDP by 2030,” said Hatta. He noted that small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 37 percent of GDP at present, seen growing to more than 50 percent by 2020. A national entrepreneurship policy is expected to be launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on July 11, according to Hatta, who believes the new policy will be conducive to promoting innovation and creating more opportunities for youth. “Asia is facing digital disruption and technological transformation on a scale that perhaps has never been seen before in the region,” said Michael Yeoh, organizing chairman and president of Kingsley Strategic Institute. “However, while some parts of Asia are undergoing the fourth industrial revolution, some regions have not even seen the second industrial revolution.” To bridge the huge development gap, Yeoh said it is important to emphasize and prioritize sustainable development, by resolving issues such as income, inequality, investment, innovation and infrastructure. While the advancement of digital technology can be part of future solutions addressing global and regional issues, Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, said it is also important to pay heed to the growing potential negative side effects. These include personal and corporate reputational risk, health issues, cyberbullying, and threats to intellectual property rights. “The four ‘E’s will have a big impact on Asia’s future growth – economy, environment, employment and energy,” said Walsh. Globalization is the right way going forward, and Asia’s future will need cooperation and partnership, said Su Ge, chair of the China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation. “Trade wars serve nobody’s interest … cooperation is the only correct way for Sino-American trade – and it will be good for the two countries, to Asia, and in a sense, good to the world,” said Su, also former president of the China Institute of International Studies. Noting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 20-21 ahead of attending the G20 Osaka summit, Su said China is committed to regional stability through peace and negotiation. Su said it is necessary for Asian countries to jointly take regional integration to a higher level, including promoting negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership multilateral free trade pact. Speaking of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, Su said it is not just about China helping others, but also about generating more cooperation in the region for mutual benefit. This view was echoed by Goh Peng Ooi, group executive chairman of Malaysian software company Silverlake Group, saying trade is what ties the world together. “Conflicts usually won’t last long … We have different systems, values, cultures, but one thing is that we all live economic lives – that is the thing that ties us together and that is why trade can tie us all together,” said Goh. For a small country like Brunei, improving infrastructure and enhancing connectivity is key for future development, as it can allow the country to export and transport its goods to more countries more cheaply, said Shazali Sulaiman, partner at consultancy KPMG Brunei. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ ASEAN Economic Community was formally established in 2015 to promote regional economic integration and improve competitiveness, but Sulaiman said there are still many challenges ahead to connect the member states. For example, visa-free travel in ASEAN countries for people who live in the region has not been fully realized yet, Sulaiman said, adding that tourism connectivity is important for regional economic connectivity and development. ASEAN is a regional bloc comprising 10 Southeast Asian nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Cultivating the right attitude in society is also important to making use of connectivity, said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Noting that China has invested greatly in high-speed rail infrastructure, Oh said one of the main reasons for the country’s rapid growth is its people’s attitude of entrepreneurship. “China continues to be very eager to link up a large part of Asia,” he said, referring to increasing investment under the BRI. “In a country like Malaysia, we do need more railway systems,” said Oh. Though China and Malaysia agreed to proceed with the East Coast Rail Link, he said more railway networks need to be built within the country, as well as linking it with Singapore to meet the high demand of cross-border travel. “Under BRI, China could indeed assist us both financially and technically to build such networks,” said Oh. “We also welcome more Chinese investment in ports.” Asia needs to adopt a cleaner and more efficient development mode for sustainable economic development, said Alexandra Boakes Tracy, president of Hong Kong-based Hoi Ping Ventures. She was speaking at a China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable panel session themed Envisioning and Promoting the Green Economy: Towards a Sustainable and Transformative Asia. “Asia is home to more than half of the world’s population but much less than half of its natural resources. Asia is also the fastest-growing source of new greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tracy, adding that regional financial institutions are already investing proactively in green finance. A ceremony was held alongside the summit to present the Asia Business Leadership Excellence Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards to recognize the efforts of entrepreneurs from around Asia. Mohamed Azmin Ali, Malaysia’s minister of economic affairs, said amid the trade conflict between China and the US, the world’s two largest economies, smaller economies including Malaysia can be expected to suffer consequences. “In this highly globalized world, we believe that free as well as fair trade must be the touchstone in all international commercial and trade dealings,” said Azmin, who called for cooperation among ASEAN member states and under international initiatives like the BRI. “While the BRI will help bridge the connectivity gap in the region, even more importantly it will open doors to the great expansion of global trade, enabling economies in the region to mutually grow and prosper,” said Azmin.
2019-06-21