219434689_The_month’s_latest_events

C919, China’s self-developed large passenger aircraft, kicked off its first commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing on May 28, marking its official entry into the civil aviation market.
The flight, operated by China Eastern Airlines, took off as MU9191 at 10:32 a.m. from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with 128 passengers on board. The plane was greeted with a water salute after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport at 12:31 p.m.
The plane, with the registration number B-919A, is the first C919 jetliner delivered worldwide. The C919 project was
launched in 2007. Developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC), the first C919 aircraft rolled off the production line in Shanghai in November 2015. In 2017, the plane accomplished its maiden flight.
The C919 had gained 1,035 orders from 32 customers by the end of 2022, according to the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai.
“The commercial operation of the C919 means that for the first time, China’s civil aviation market has got the country’s self-developed trunk jetliner,” said Wei Yingbiao, vice president of COMAC.
China’s C919 Jetliner Goes into Commercial Operation
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The final round of the northern and central section of the 22nd Chinese Bridge Chinese
Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students concluded in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi
on May 20.
The competitions of the section were held by Hanoi University and co-organized by the Center for Language
Education and Cooperation under China’s Ministry of Education and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.
Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, vice president of Hanoi University, said the progress of world civilization
depends on communication between countries and language is one of the most important ways to
communicate with each other.
Peng Shituan, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said that Chinese language has
played an important role in advancing people-to-people exchanges.
The fourth Myanmar (Lashio)-China (Lincang) border trade fair kicked off in Myanmar’s capital
Nay Pyi T aw on May 25.
The trade fair reflects “Paukphaw (fraternal) friendship, promotion of bilateral trade and economic
cooperation and multi-sector cooperation between the peoples of the two countries,” Union Minister
for Planning and Finance U Win Shein said at the opening ceremony.
Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai said Lincang, a border region in southwest China’s Yunnan
Province, is the frontier of Yunnan’s exchanges and cooperation with Myanmar and has geographical
advantages for opening up and cooperation with Myanmar.
The fourth border trade fair will inject new vitality into economic and trade cooperation between the
two places, Chen said.
The trade fair featured more than 100 stalls, including more than 40 from China and about 70 from Myanmar.
The opening ceremony for a series of events by China as the guest of honor on the 40th Kuala
Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) was held on May 27.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Zhang Jianchun, Malaysian Minister of
Education Fadhlina Sidek, and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing attended the event
at the World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur.
This was the first time that China was invited as a guest of honor to participate in ASEAN countries’
international book fairs.
More than 150 representatives from over 30 publishing institutions of China participated in the book
fair, during which China and Malaysia hosted more than 30 cultural exchange activities.
Cambodia hosted the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for the first time in 64 years, expressing
confidence that the biennial multi-sport event would give a boost to the tourism industry in the
post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen presided over the opening ceremony of the
32nd edition of the SEA Games on May 5 at the 60,000-seater Morodok Techo National Stadium.
Located on the northern outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh, the stadium, built by the China State
Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), has been put into use since December 2021.
With the motto of “Sport: Live in Peace”, the games brought together a total of 10,890 athletes,
coaches, arbitrators, and delegates from the 11 countries of Southeast Asia.
Cambodia Hosts SEA Games for First Time in 64 Years
Chinese Bridge Contest for College Students Held in Vietnamese Capital
Myanmar, China Hold Border Trade Fair in Nay Pyi Taw
Events for China as Guest of Honor on Kuala Lumpur Int’l Book Fair Kick off in Malaysia
in brief
NEWS
VOICES
“We have a strong asset as the epicentrum of growth, an economy that grows far above average global economic growth, demographic bonus and a maintained regional stability.”
—Indonesian President Joko Widodo said at the 42nd ASEAN Summit’s opening session on May 11
“The BRI has greatly benefited not only Cambodia, but also ASEAN, as well as other participating countries.”
—Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said at celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) held in Cambodia on May 22
“As the region emerges from the pandemic, fortifying health systems, raising the quality of education, and improving nutrition will equip our young workers physically, mentally, and emotionally and improve their productivity.”
—Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director General for Southeast Asia Winfried Wicklein said on May 25
Exports of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables rose 19.4 percent from the same period last year, which greatly boosted the country’s agriculture, forestry, and fishery sector amid a global slowdown, local media VnEconomy reported on May 9. According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, shipments of fruit and vegetables in April jumped 75 percent year on year to US$410 million, mainly due to expanded exports of durian, dragon fruit, and banana. Vietnamese exports of fruit and vegetables amounted to nearly US$1.4 billion in the first four months of this year. China remained the biggest market for Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, accounting for 58.7 percent of the total export turnover, 27.4 percent higher than a year before, said the agriculture ministry.
The China-Laos Railway has handled 13,310 cross-border passenger trips since the launch of its passenger service on April 13, the Mohan entry-exit border checkpoint said on May 14. During this period, the Chinese border town of Mohan in southwest Yunnan Province logged 7,024 inbound passenger trips and 6,286 outbound trips. The railway has seen its freight portfolio expand from over 10 categories in the initial stage to more than 2,000. Mechanical equipment, household appliances, vegetables, and flowers are among the main goods delivered from China to Laos, while metallic ore and cassava are among the main products transported from Laos to China, according to the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. From January to April this year, the railway transported nearly 6.7 million tonnes of cargo, up 156 percent year on year.
19.4
%
13,310 285,000
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported a growing
number of travelers from the Chinese mainland, with arrivals increasing from 91,898 in January to 285,000 recorded in April, as flights resumed between the two countries. Starting in June, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand expects flights from
China to reach 430 per week. Chuwit Sirivejkul, TAT regional director of marketing for East Asia, noted that daily Chinese arrivals peaked at 18,000 to 20,000 during the Labor Day holiday and would range between 8,000 and 10,000 a day in May. This figure is a significant increase from the average of 2,500 visitors per day recorded in February before group travel was allowed from the Chinese mainland following China’s optimization of its COVID-19 policy.
The Jakarta Post May 18, 2023
Montana Becomes First US State to Ban TikT ok
Montana on May 17 became the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year. The ban makes it a violation each time “a user accesses TikTok, is offered the ability to access
TikTok, or is offered the ability to download TikTok.” Each violation is punishable by a $10,000 fine every day it takes place. Under the law, Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores and companies will face possible daily fines.
State political leaders have “trampled on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather
information, and run their small business in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment,” said ACLU (the American Civil Liberties Union) Montana policy director Keegan Medrano.
VNA May 30, 2023
Singapore Biggest Foreign Investor in HCM City
Singapore was the biggest foreign investor in Ho Chi Minh City in terms of newly-registered projects and capital contribution for share purchases in the last five months, with 72 new projects worth 121.5 million USD, accounting for 60.8% of the total capital of the new projects.
According to the municipal Department of Statistics, Japan came second with 32 new projects totaling 16.5 million USD, making up 8.3% of the total.
Singapore and Cayman Islands had the highest proportion of capital contribution in the reviewed period, accounting for 53.6% and 11.5%, respectively.In the first five months, HCM City saw 18,630 newly-established enterprises, up 7.8 year on year, with a total registered capital of 178.78 trillion VND (over 7.6 billion USD), down 21.2%.
The Star May 30, 2023
Maybank Launches Cross-border QR Payment Service
Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has launched its cross-border quick response (QR) payment service for its
customers travelling to Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.In a statement, Maybank said the new offering would
enable Malaysians visiting the respective countries to enjoy a cheaper, faster and more convenient payment option through the MAE app.
Maybank group chief executive officer of community
financial services Datuk John Chong said the cross-border QR payment service is an essential feature that will facilitate Malaysian travellers’ abroad via the MAE app, as well as tourists coming to Malaysia to conduct cashless payments through their respective country’s currency.
“It also serves as a key to improving efficiency while
promoting the digital economy and financial inclusion in the ASEAN region,” he said.
The Straits Times May 30, 2023
Indonesia Scraps Two-decade Ban on Sea Sand Exports
Indonesia has lifted a ban on sea sand exports that was in place for 20 years, a move that would bring in revenue for the archipelago but which has also sparked concerns among environmentalists.
The regulation was signed by President Joko Widodo on May 15 and took effect that day. It allows mining permit holders to collect and export sea sand, provided domestic needs have been met.Miners as well as officials in Indonesia have
welcomed the latest decision. But environmentalists have warned that the move will lead to an increase in sand extraction, which will be harmful to coastal dwellers who rely on ocean ecosystems.
Before the ban in 2003, Indonesia was Singapore’s major supplier of sea sand for land expansion.。