01. Chinese FM meets ASEAN diplomatic envoys

Nov. 15， 2021 （Xinhua） — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomatic envoys of the ASEAN countries on November 14 in Beijing. Wang said that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic， Chinese President Xi Jinping has maintained close communication and mutual support with ASEAN leaders to further consolidate and deepen bilateral friendly cooperation. The two sides will soon jointly hold a summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN countries. This will be a milestone meeting to chart the course for the development of bilateral relations in the next 30 years.

02. Digital economy powers China-ASEAN trade

Nov. 1， 2021 （Xinhua） — Indonesias coffee， Thailands latex pillow and other products from over 1，500 global companies have attracted swarms of visitors to the online China-ASEAN Expo running uninterrupted. The online expo was launched last year， and to date， its website has recorded over 22.7 million visits. The expo has attracted 1，517 companies， among which those from the ASEAN countries take up a large part. The ASEAN became Chinas largest trading partner in 2020 and has continued to maintain strong growth momentum this year.

03. Hainan FTP to improve Sino-ASEAN economic ties

Nov. 1， 2021 （China Daily） — The growth of the Hainan Free Trade Port will further enrich business ties and regional connectivity between China and the ASEAN members， creating favorable conditions for the expected implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement next year， experts and business leaders said on October 31. The Hainan FTP and ASEAN countries are highly complementary in natural resources， capital， technology， markets， industry and human resources， which is conducive to the free flow of these factors in the region， and will expand the space for economic and trade cooperation.

04. Lao govt orders full-scale preparation for China-Laos railway opening

Nov. 1， 2021 （Xinhua） — The Lao government has ordered full-scale preparations for the opening of the China-Laos railway， as Laos and China count down to December 2， the planned date of its inauguration. The cabinet gave the order at its monthly meeting for October， which ended October 29， local daily Vientiane Times reported on November 1. Chaired by Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh， the cabinet meeting told authorities in charge to accelerate action to fulfill plans to attract investment in facilities alongside the railway. Committee of Zhejiang province attended the opening ceremony.

05. Lao govt mulls steps to reopen country

Nov. 2， 2021 （Xinhua） — Addressing the opening of the National Assembly， Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh told members that Laos needs to consider the steps to take to reopen the country， including the start of services on the China-Laos railway. The National Assemblys （NA） ninth legislature began its second ordinary session with a debate on ways to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak and revitalize the economy， which has been severely impacted by the pandemic， local daily Vientiane Times reported on November 2.

06. China-aided hospital handed over to Laos after 1st phase completed

Nov. 12， 2021 （Xinhua） — The handover ceremony of the first phase of the China-aided Mahosot General Hospital Project was held here on November 11. Speaking at the ceremony， Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong said that the successful completion and handover of the first phase of the project， including the new ward building and the building for treating infectious diseases， has become another fruitful achievement of the bilateral friendly cooperation in the health sector.

07. Indonesias internet economy to reach US$ 70 billion in 2021

Nov. 16， 2021 （China Daily） — Indonesias digital economy is projected to grow almost 50% this year on the back of exceptionally fast development in the e-commerce segment， a trend that will continue at least until 2025， according to an industry report. The “e-Conomy SEA 2021” report released by technology company Google， Singaporean state-owned investment firm Temasek Holdings and business consultancy Bain & Co estimates that Indonesias internet economy — measured in gross merchandise value （GMV） — will grow to US$ 70 billion this year.

08. China， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand begin 111th joint Mekong River patrol

Nov. 17， 2021 （Xinhua） — Law enforcement authorities from China， Laos， Myanmar and Thailand joined forces on Tuesday to conduct the 111th joint Mekong River patrol. Two Chinese vessels departed for the patrol at 9 am November 16 from Jingha Port in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of southwest Chinas Yunnan Province， said the Yunnan public security department. Prior to the operation， the law enforcement authorities held video conferences to jointly analyze the current COVID-19 pandemic and public security situations in the river basin.