On the afternoon of 7 December 2022, the Seminar on ASEAN Media's View of Digital China in 2022 co-hosted by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and China Daily was held online. H.E. Mr. Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of ACC, H.E. Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Ambassador of Thailand to China, Mr. Zhang Yong, Deputy Director-General of Bureau of News and Communications of the Cyberspace Administration of China and Mr. Wang Hao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Daily attended the seminar and delivered speeches through video connection or pre-recorded video. ASEAN diplomatic envoys including H.E. Mrs. Khek M. Caimealy Sysoda, Ambassador of Cambodia to China, H.E. Raja Dato’ Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, Ambassador of Malaysia to China, and Mr. Dinno Oblena, Charge d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy in China, sent video congratulatory messages to the seminar. The seminar was attended by about 50 participants, including representatives from the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of China, Beijing and Shenzhen municipal government, Embassies of Indonesia, Lao PDR, Singapore and Viet Nam in China, ASEAN and Chinese media, think tanks and e-commerce companies. Official from the Information and Public Relations Division of ACC attended the conference online.
Secretary-General Shi Zhongjun said in his video speech that ASEAN and China are highly complementary in digital economy and enjoy solid foundation and great potential in digital cooperation. Promoting the ASEAN-China digital economy partnership will help the two sides overcome current economic difficulties caused by Covid-19, gain greater growth momentum and achieve common development and prosperity. ACC will continue playing its role as a bridge between ASEAN and China to promote policy communication, expand consensus and deepen cooperation in the digital field, and make new contribution to the growth of ASEAN-China relations.
Ambassador Arthayudh Srisamoot briefed the audience on Thailand's national development strategy in the digital field and said that Thailand has made great progress in the digital economy in recent years. Thailand and China have long supported each other in the digital field and achieved fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation. Thailand is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in this field.
Scholars and media representatives from ASEAN and China focused on the theme of "Digital Economy Ties, A New Chapter in Smart City", shared their experiences and research results, and had in-depth discussion on how to strengthen ASEAN-China digital economic exchanges and cooperation, so as to better promote the construction of Version 3.0 ASEAN-China Free Trade Area. The seminar attracted extensive attention and coverage from media of both sides.