Information

01. Thai Deputy PM： RCEP deal could be signed as early as 2020

September 8， 2019 （Xinhua） — The 16 countries agreed that they would reach agreements on details of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP） in an officials meeting in September and the deal could be signed as early as 2020， said Jurin Laksanawisit， Thailands Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister. Jurin told media after the 7th RCEP Ministerial Meeting： “Todays meeting is the last minister-level meeting before the RCEP summit to be held in November， and all 16 countries agreed that we should conclude negotiation on technical details of RCEP in the coming officials meeting.”

02. Thailand， South Korea sign cooperation agreements， MOUs

September 2， 2019 （Xinhua） — Thailand and South Korea signed several agreements in varied aspects of bilateral cooperation. The signed agreements included a memorandum of understanding on national water management on equitable， sustainable basis; a memorandum of understanding on a study of the Korean language by Thai students; a memorandum of understanding on trade， industry and energy affairs with intent to promote industrial investments and SMEs competitiveness and develop human resources among others. Besides， the Thai and South Korean governments signed a cooperation agreement on infrastructural development and rail transports and an exchange and cooperation agreement on classified military intelligence in relation to national security and defense of both countries.

03. Cambodia， Malaysia sign deals to boost trade， investment， tourism

September 3， 2019 （Xinhua） — Cambodia and Malaysia signed two pacts to boost bilateral trade， investment and tourism， said a joint statement. The documents included an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation or DTA and a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation. Malaysia is the fifth largest foreign investor in Cambodia during the last five years， according to a report from the Council for the Development of Cambodia. The kingdom attracted a total investment of US$ 481 million from Malaysia during the 2014-2018 period.

04. ASEAN countries urged to work collectively against terrorism

September 3， 2019 （Xinhua） — ASEAN members should work collectively to combat terrorism， Brunei Police Commissioner Mohammad Irwan said. Speaking at the 28th Joint ASEAN Senior Police Officers Course， Irwan said the ACCPCM aims to speed up the distribution of information and intelligence， and the assistance provided， in the event of any large-scale acts of terrorism which may result in mass casualties or the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. The ASEANAPOL （ASEAN Police） Communication and Coordination Protocol for Crisis Management （ACCPCM） agreement， signed in 2016 in Kuala Lumpur， is one of the enabling tools for this purpose， he added.

05. Filipino “sponge boy” bound for China with scholarship

September 3， 2019 （Xinhua） — Melvin Chua， a 23-year-old Filipino boy， is awarded scholarship by the Chinese government and will leave for the Renmin University of China in Beijing to take up masters in business administration. Melvin has been selling dish sponges and dish cleaners to support his family for 13 years and was given the nickname of “sponge boy”. Melvin now bids goodbye to the familiar streets in which he once plied his business. Studying in China will be Melvins first time to be away from his family， but he sees this as a good turning point in life.

06. All Vietnamese localities hit by African swine fever

September 3， 2019 （Xinhua） — All Vietnams localities have been stricken by the African swine fever （ASF）， after Central Ninh Thuan province recorded cases of the animal disease， Vietnam News Agency reported. Specimens from pigs raised by a household in the provinces Ninh Son district have tested positive to the ASF virus， according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Since the first ASF outbreak in February in northern Hung Yen province， ASF had hit nearly 7，000 communes， 600 districts， 62 cities and provinces across Vietnam， leading to the culling of over 4 million pigs， Vietnam News Agency reported.

07. Myanmar to use US$ 1 billion loan for infrastructure projects

September 9， 2019 （The Myanmar Times） — Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun and South Koreas Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Kang Kyung-wha signed the framework agreement under which South Korea will provide US$ 1 billion to Myanmar for an economic development cooperation fund during a visit by South Korean President Moon Jae to Myanmar. According to the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations， nine projects are included under the loan framework.

08. China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning

September 21， 2019 （China Daily） — The 16th China-ASEAN Expo opened in Nanning， capital of Guangxi， aiming to encourage communication and collaboration between China and ASEAN， as well as economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Focusing on business and investment， the 16th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit also commenced. Themed “Building the Belt and Road， Realizing Our Vision for a Community of Shared Future”， the four-day expo included high-level exchange events based on the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030. Vice Premier of China Han Zheng said during the opening ceremony that this years expo and summit were in line with the concept of building the Belt and Road together.