1. Xi highlights ties with Philippines

Jul. 18， 2023 （China Daily） — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 17. President Xi Jinping hailed Dutertes role in improving bilateral relations. While expressing Chinas strong emphasis on relations with the Philippines， Xi said Beijing remains committed to amity， sincerity， mutual benefit and inclusiveness as well as good neighborliness in its relations with neighboring countries. Duterte expressed his gratitude for Chinas valuable support to the economic and social development of the Philippines， especially the generous assistance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing friendly relations with China is in the interests of both peoples and is also the wish of the majority of the Filipino people， said Duterte.

2. Brunei launches 1st direct container shipping route to China

Jul. 8， 2023 （Xinhua） — Brunei opened a container shipping route between Muara Port and Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi， China， marking the first such route between the Southeast Asian country and China. At the launch ceremony， Haji Mohd Amin Liew， Bruneis minister at the Prime Ministers office and second minister of finance and economy， said the new container shipping line is beneficial to Bruneis economy and to the BIMP-EAGA region as it will facilitate import and export， and open new markets. Cai Lixin， visiting vice governor of Guangxi， said the new route will strengthen Chinas cooperation with the BIMP-EAGA region and advance the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

3. Chinese food companies highlighted at trade fair in Malaysia

Jul. 12， 2023 （Xinhua） — Chinese food companies drew the interest of Malaysians as the 20th CAEXPO 2023 Roadshow （Malaysia） & Guangxi Export Fair kicked off. The expo， co-located with the 2023 Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair （MIFB）， sees the participation of dozens of Chinese companies eager to introduce their products to both Malaysian and international consumers. Among the range of products covered are meat and poultry， fish and seafood， dairy， drinks， confectionery and snacks， health food， packaging and food processing equipment， with many unique products from Chinas vast culinary diversity on display.

4. China-ASEAN forum held to enhance cooperation on sustainable development

Jul. 16， 2023 （Xinhua） — The 2023 China-ASEAN International Forum on Innovation and Cooperation for Sustainable Development concluded on July 15 in the tourist city of Guilin， south Chinas Guangxi. The three-day forum attracted participants from China and ASEAN member states， as well as representatives from international organizations， enterprises and research institutions. Participants exchanged views at the forum on topics such as green technology transfer， tourism cities and experience in building national innovation demonstration zones of the SDGs. In 2018， Chinas State Council gave approval for the cities of Shenzhen， Taiyuan and Guilin to build innovation demonstration zones to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

5. Cambodias export to RCEP countries up 24 pct in H1

Jul. 19， 2023 （Xinhua）— Cambodias total export to other RCEP countries amounted to 4.07 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of 2023， up 24 percent from 3.28 billion dollars over the same period last year， said the Ministry of Commerces latest report released on July 18. During the January-June period this year， Cambodias top three export destinations under the RCEP were Vietnam， China and Japan， the report said. The Southeast Asian country shipped products worth nearly 1.43 billion dollars to Vietnam， up 22 percent; 713 million dollars to China， up 17 percent; and 545 million dollars to Japan， up 1 percent， the report added.

6. Vietnam， Malaysia to lower trade barriers

Jul. 21， 2023 （Xinhua）— Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed on July 21 to enhance bilateral trade and lower trade barriers between the two countries， Vietnam News Agency reported. The two leaders expressed their delight in the development of the relationship between the two sides， especially after it was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2015. Malaysia is Vietnams 2nd largest trading partner in ASEAN and 9th in the world. It is also in the group of 10 countries with the largest investment in Vietnam， the news agency reported.

7. Myanmars foreign trade reaches over 9.7 bln USD in 1st 3 months of 2023-24 FY

Jul. 24， 2023 （Xinhua）— Myanmars foreign trade has reached over 9.7 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months of the 2023-24 fiscal year， according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce on July 24. The figure was up， as compared to over 9.6 billion dollars registered in the same period a year ago. From April 1 to July 14 this year， the country earned over 4.4 billion dollars from exports， while its imports were valued at over 5.3 billion dollars. During the period， manufactured goods topped the export list with the most value， earning over 2.6 billion dollars， followed by agricultural products with a value of 968.05 million dollars.

8. Singapore， HKSAR pledge more cooperation on trade， culture

Jul. 25， 2023 （Xinhua）— Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with visiting Chief Executive of Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR） John Lee in Singapore on July 25. Both sides reaffirmed the close and longstanding relations between Singapore and Hong Kong and discussed ways to further deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and investment， arts and culture， innovation and research. During the visit， enterprises and institutions of Hong Kong and Singapore signed seven memoranda of understanding on areas including trade， financial services， fin-tech， innovation and technology， and research collaboration.