KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1st August—On 1st August 2025, the inauguration ceremony of Hainan International Media Center (HIMC)-ASEAN Liaison Center and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor Regional Cultural Cooperation Partner Signing Conference were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Liaison Center aims to build a bridge of cooperation between Hainan and ASEAN by bringing together international communication with economic and trade cooperation, cultural mutual learning, and think tank collaboration. It also aims to promote synergy between provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities along China's New Western Land-Sea Corridor and mainstream media in ASEAN and tell China and Hainan's story to ASEAN audiences, enabling the vitality of the Hainan Free Trade Port in the process of opening up wider to the world and ASEAN's development potential to move towards even deeper levels of integration.

Photo: HIMC

More than 30 guests were at the event to witness the start of a new chapter in China-Malaysia cooperation. Attending from the Malaysian side were Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Chairman of Bernama, Mr. Tee Hor Yean, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Dr. Pua Eng Teck, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Economic and Trade Development Promotion Association and Senior Advisor for Hainan-ASEAN International Communication at HIMC, Ms. Evie Loh, Editor-in-Chief of Nanyang Siang Pau, Professor Dr. Cao Fei, Chief Executive Officer of Mila University, and Datuk George Yong Ket How, President of the Federation of Hainan Association Malaysia, alongside representatives from government, enterprises, media, and academic circles. Chinese central state media representatives included Mr. Mao Pengfei, Chief of Xinhua News Agency's Kuala Lumpur Bureau, Mr. Yan Shu, Chief of CMG's Asia-Pacific Headquarters, and Ms. Chen Yue, Chief of China News Service's Kuala Lumpur Bureau. Mr. Niu Xiaomin, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Hainan Daily Press Group, and representatives from international communication institutions and enterprises in Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other regions of China, were also present.

Photo: HIMC

"From the inception of the Penang Hainan Association over one hundred years ago to the Hainanese kopitiam whose heady aroma of freshly cooked breakfasts fills alleys across Malaysia, ties between Hainan and Malaysia are strong and well-established." In his keynote address at the event, Mr. Niu Xiaomin highlighted the deep ties that exist between Malaysia and Hainan. He also emphasized that the launch of special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port on 18th December this year, which has drawn significant attention and expectations globally, will inevitably lead to a deepening of Hainan's ties with ASEAN overall. The establishment of the Liaison Center is a key step in leveraging the power of media to bolster the Hainan Free Trade Port's active integration into ASEAN and building a cultural bridge for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Photo: HIMC

"Media is a bridge connecting hearts and minds, and genuine and touching stories can cross borders," said Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai. The opening and development of the Hainan Free Trade Port have created a broad space for cooperation between Malaysia and China. Bernama looks forward to working with its Hainan counterparts to explore shared cultural memories and cooperation opportunities in economy and trade, culture and other areas, enhance understanding with more vivid narratives, and deepen the friendship between Malaysia and Hainan through exchanges and cooperation.

Photo: HIMC

As a senior advisor of Hainan International Media Center on Hainan-ASEAN International Communication, Dr. Pua Eng Teck has worked hard to advance the establishment of the Liaison Center in the past year. In his speech, he expressed hope for the future with the phrase "connected by mountains and rivers and joined across land and sea," emphasizing that this event will serve as a starting point to "use culture as a medium and cooperation as a vessel, and leverage the deepening of the RCEP, the upgrade of CAFTA, and the high-level opening up of the Hainan Free Trade Port," to jointly compose a brilliant new chapter of regional cultural prosperity.

At the ceremony, the "New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor ASEAN Economic and Trade Station" was also unveiled. It aims to provide practical services for ASEAN enterprises to connect with Hainan FTP policies and expand cooperation space, helping to facilitate smoother economic and trade exchanges. The fifth season of This is Hainan: Exploring Mysteries, a documentary planned and filmed by HIMC that showcases the charm of Hainan's rainforests to international audiences, also saw its global launch.

Photo: HIMC

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor Cultural Cooperation Initiative ("Kuala Lumpur Initiative"), co-initiating by ten organizations in Malaysia and China, including HIMC, Bernama, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, and Mila University, was launched, calling for the building of new bonds of cultural integration, the establishment of open collaboration mechanisms, and inspiring young people to co-create a better future to inject new impetus into regional cultural prosperity and economic and trade ties.

Later in the event, HIMC and Bernama inked a joint production agreement for the upcoming documentary series, Charming Hainan, Enchanting Malaysia, which will turn the lens on shared culinary and cultural memories. HIMC also opened up strategic cooperation with Kwong Wah Yit Poh and Nanyang Siang Pau on deepening content co-creation, financial think tank research, and the construction of international communication networks. A youth talent training agreement was signed with Mila University, jointly establishing the Hainan FTP Talent Practice Base to train international media talents to meet the needs of Hainan Free Trade Port-ASEAN cooperation. Institutions such as the Haifeng International Film and Television Base ASEAN Center, the Guangxi International Communication Center Malaysia Office, and International Communication Center of Guizhou Radio and Television Center Malaysia Office were also unveiled at the event, demonstrating the firm commitment of provinces and cities along China's New Western Land-Sea Corridor to working with ASEAN to deepen media cooperation and global cultural promotion efforts.

Photo: HIMC

Relying on the geographical advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port as an key gateway to ASEAN and the cooperative foundation of ASEAN as Hainan's largest trading partner, HIMC is set to take leverage its ASEAN Liaison Center as a springboard for future cooperation with provinces and cities along China's New Western Land-Sea Corridor and continuously deepening pragmatic collaboration with ASEAN, thereby allowing the momentum of the Hainan Free Trade Port's opening up and development to benefit ASEAN in more targeted ways, and also allowing the diverse culture and market vitality of ASEAN to have a greater impact in Hainan, injecting lasting impetus into regional coordinated development.