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Monday, May 20, 2024

Business convention eyes at least Rm2bil

 
WCEC expected to attract 4,500 entrepreneurs while benefiting the local economy this Sept

PETALING JAYA: The 17th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC), scheduled for Sept 9 to 11 this year is expected to generate at least Rm2bil in business opportunities, coupled with spillover effects benefiting the local economy.

The convention is regarded as the most anticipated business event of the year due to its global reach, attracting 4,500 delegates from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, Oceania and Africa to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for impactful business networking and matching, and collaboration opportunities.

To ensure that delegates receive high quality and a more meaningful conference, there will also be a business matching session as well as an exhibition for companies to set up booths.

Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) treasurer Datuk Koong Lin Loong believes that the WCEC will generate billions of ringgit in business opportunities. He highlights the significant economic potential of the event. 

ACCCIM reps:Koong (left) and Teoh

“A successful match may lead to a conservative increase in business volume, ranging from hundreds of thousands of ringgit to millions; thus, the cumulative potential is substantial.

“If a business owner decides to match with more than one company for further expansion of market footprint, supply chain or even increase export of products and services, the total impact will be more.

“This scenario underscores the immense potential for foreign direct investment that a convention of this scale can bring about,” he said.

The 17th WCEC marks the second time ACCCIM will be organising this event, with their first being the 7th convention in 2003.

Koong, who leads the business matching session, shared that they have been organising businessmatching sessions for their ACCCIM members and the results were outstanding.

“This will also help Malaysian companies, especially our small and medium enterprises (SMES), to connect with international counterparts, thereby fostering significant economic growth and investment opportunities.”

Additionally, with delegates coming over from around the world, the convention also acts as a significant driver of local tourism, Koong says.

“Delegates and their family members can explore our city’s cultural and recreational offerings. The increase in foot traffic boosts demand for local businesses, ranging from hotels and restaurants to cultural sites and retail shops.”

In the spirit of tourism and economic pursuits, ACCCIM will also be bringing interested delegates to visit other states in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak, right after the convention.

“We are currently working with the state governments to ensure that these delegates learn about the respective state’s unique attractions, opportunities and economic landscape.

“This strategic exposure could lead to prosperous business ventures, significantly boosting the likelihood of future investments and partnerships with local businesses.”

Addressing fundamental shifts

The theme for the three-day convention, ‘Reimagineering the Future’, reflects a pivotal moment for business leaders and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Recognising the rapid transformations in the global economy, ACCCIM’S national council member Teoh Kok Lin says there is an imperative need to fundamentally reimagine the trajectories that businesses will pursue in the next 20 to 30 years.

Thus, he emphasises the importance of engineering innovative solutions that not only drive prosperity but also ensure that it is inclusive and sustainable.

Teoh, who oversees the forums and conferences during the convention, says participants will engage in in-depth discussions that will dissect and explore four megatrends: structural shifts in global political, economic and financial order; diversity, sustainable and inclusion; climate change, environmental, social and governance (ESG) and green revolution; and technology revolution and disruptive technology.

“Over the past decade, significant changes in the global landscape, including shifts in geopolitics, the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains and the evolution from globalisation to de-globalisation and regionalisation, have underscored new challenges and opportunities.

“It is essential for the WCEC to address these developments, helping business leaders navigate the complexities of today’s economic environment and explore strategic responses to these global trends,” he said.

Delegates can expect to have fruitful sessions, as key speakers leading the discussions are experts in their own field.

They include Ping An Group chief scientist Dr Xiao Jing, Blue Chip Venture Capital Sdn Bhd founder and chairman Datuk Lai Pin Yong, economist Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, QL Resources Bhd executive chairman Dr Chia Song Kun, Phison Electronics Corp chief executive officer Datuk Pua Kheinseng and Asia School of Business chief executive officer, president and dean Prof Sanjay Sarma.

The convention will also feature over 100 booths by both local and international businesses that will showcase their products and services. This serves as a stage for exhibitors, especially the local SMES, to expand their market reach, explore cross-border opportunities, and embed their brand into the international market landscape.

17th WCEC to reimagine the future of business landscape

High-profile gathering: (From left) ACCCIM vice-president Datuk Liew Chee Ming, Star Media Group chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt, ACCCIM vice-president Datuk Looi Hei Tyng, ACCCIM life honorary president Datuk Lim Kok Cheong, Media Chinese International Limited group editor-in-chief (Malaysia) Kuik Cheng Kang, Low, Star Media Group advisor and Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Yuwang Group executive chairman Tan Sri See Hong Cheen, ACCCIM deputy president Datuk Ng Yih Pyng, and 8TV chief operating officer Kevin Foo posing for a picture during the media briefing dinner at a hotel in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star


PETALING JAYA: At least 1,500 local business leaders and 3,000 overseas delegates will attend the 17th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC), which will be organised by The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).

The event which will take place from Sept 9 to 11 this year at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre will see delegates from Asia, Europe, Middle East, North and South America, Oceania and Africa attending the convention.

The convention will revolve around the theme “Reimagineering the Future”, and will address ongoing global trends and issues including structural shifts in global political, economic and financial order, disruptive technology, diversity and inclusion, and climate change. 

The goal is to equip participants with deeper insights and understanding into the future direction of the global environment, allowing them to plan ahead and ensure sustainability in their business operations.

The WCEC will also feature business matching sessions for business leaders and experts to network and seek opportunities to partner and collaborate.

“This convention also provides the opportunity to showcase Malaysia’s boundless business opportunities and its alluring status as Asia’s multi-diversity wonderland, particularly as we gear up for the Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” said ACCCIM president Tan Sri Low Kian Chuan at a media briefing session held at a hotel here.

Among those who attended the briefing were ACCCIM members, business partners and senior media representatives.

The convention is a good platform for business leaders, professionals and policy makers to share ideas and gain insights and create connections.

“My team and I will ensure a world-class enlightening and engaging convention, considering our proven track record of hosting the 7th WCEC in 2003,” said Low who is also the organising chairman of the 17th WCEC.

“Together, let us reimagine the future of business landscape and forge enduring connections and collaborations, making our country and the world a better place of doing business,” added Low.

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Sunday, May 19, 2024

The ‘Chinese killed Jesus Christ’ post is a farce, but why it was allowed to spread on X is worth a closer look, "Cognitive Warfare"

Photo: VCG

Plunge into madness

Editor's Note:

"Cognitive Warfare" has become a new form of confrontation between states, and a new security threat. With new technological means, it sets agendas and spreads disinformation, to change people's perceptions and thus alter their self-identity. Launching cognitive warfare against China is an important means for Western anti-China forces to attack and discredit the country. 

Some politicians and media outlets have publicly smeared China's image by propagating false narratives in an attempt to incite and provoke dissatisfaction with China among people in certain countries. These means all serve the US strategy to contain China's rise and maintain its hegemony. The Global Times is publishing a series of articles to reveal the intrigues of the US-led West's China-targeted cognitive warfare, and expose its lies and vicious intentions. 

In the 14th installment in the series, the Global Times looks into how the US government and major social media platforms connive to spread anti-China slander online, as a non-obvious cognitive warfare trick that incites hostile sentiment toward China among ordinary US people.

People walk on a street in New York City, the US. Photo: VCG

People walk on a street in New York City, the US. Photo: VCG

Seeing unfriendly content toward China on today's US social media platforms is not uncommon, although some of them have reached the level of laughable absurdity. Dom Lucre, a US political commentator, recently wrote a controversial post on X (formally known as Twitter), in which he inexplicably claimed that the "Chinese killed Jesus Christ." This inexplicable post soon went viral online. Many X users seemed to have followed suit by fabricating rumors about "the Chinese," creating a wave of disinformation attacking Chinese people in recent days.

How did this campaign come about? Was it just the innocent dark humor of some individuals online, or a branch of the US' growing cognitive warfare against China to further deepen misunderstanding and hostility among Americans toward Chinese people? What roles do the US government and social media platforms play in such seemingly unofficially-initiated disinformation campaigns?

Dark humor?

"The Chinese killed Jesus Christ. This isn't a conspiracy. This isn't racist. This is history." The ridiculous post by Lucre on March 16 has since garnered over 3.5 million views and 1,500 forwards, much more than his other daily posts.

This was not the only ridiculous Chinese-themed post by Lucre that month. Earlier on March 9, he posted that "The Chinese control Hollywood. That's why every show they own can make fun of Jesus Christ and describe it as comedy…The Chinese [have] weaponized the American media against Christians." 

"China really controls the world," "China (is) allowed to legally mingle [sic] in American elections," "FBI caught five Chinese men dancing during 9/11"… Within a week, Lucre had posted several bizarre accusations against China and Chinese people, triggering widespread discussions on X.

So what was the motive behind it?

Some users commented that they guessed the posts were a form of "dark humor" satire by Lucre to "mock" the bans of US social media platforms like X on negative content about Jews as it appears Lucre had simply replaced the word "Jews" with "Chinese" in his post. Sharing personal experiences of Jew-related posts being deleted, they suggested that the platforms usually block or restrict posts attacking certain groups of people like Jews or Muslims, but seemingly allow similar content when directed at Chinese people, if not encourage them.

Superficially, Lucre's posts were a performance-art-like satire to highlight how different groups are treated on US social media platforms, and Chinese people unfortunately became a tool and the victims of such "satire."

However, as an increasing number of X users followed suit to fabricate and spread rumors defaming Chinese people, some anti-China forces thus seized on the opportunity to further muddy the waters with fake evidence to "support" the ridiculous claims. This "dark humor" farce has resulted in the inundation of disinformation that demonizes Chinese people.

There were more than 2,000 X posts containing the keywords "Chinese killed Jesus" within a week after Lucre's original post on March 16, showed online media monitoring company Meltwater. Instead of attaching so-called "background information" to Lucre's related posts, X seemed to have not blocked or clarified any of the forwarded posts, allowing them to keep going viral and mislead the public.

Obviously, the disinformation was spread under X's inaction and connivance, said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University. "X can hardly escape the blame," he told the Global Times.

Long-term connivance

US social media platforms have long connived with and acquiesced to anti-China misinformation, "a very vicious act" that is backed or promoted by some politicians and government agencies in the US, Li said.

By indulging the false accusations against China online and deliberately elevating a few statements - no matter how absurd they are - to ignite a sort of public hostility toward China and its people, these platforms and politicians attempt to foment unfriendly consensus against Chinese people at the social level, so as to set off an anti-China sentiment among the general US public, noted Li.

The "Chinese virus" smear during the COVID-19 pandemic was a typical cognitive campaign that started on social media and was fueled by the US government and politicians. Meltwater data showed that the terms "Chinese virus" first appeared on social media platforms and in some news coverage around early January 2020, and surged in late March, soon after former US president Donald Trump used similar labels in his X posts

The US government was obviously happy to see these insulting words flooding social media, and actively joined the COVID-19 cognitive campaign that smeared China and obfuscated the facts. 

The so-called "Great Translation Movement" in early 2022, a malicious smear campaign against China on Russia-Ukraine issues on X, was also a vivid instance in which US social media platforms connived to spread rumors and hateful, discriminatory remarks against Chinese people. By translating cherry-picked, niche, and radical content from the Chinese internet into multiple languages, and spreading said translations on overseas social media platforms, participants of the "movement" attempted to portray Chinese people as an arrogant, populist, and cruel group, which maliciously misled the public. 

Disappointingly, during this "movement," X kept turning a blind eye to the rumors and attacks against Chinese people.

Some politicians are currently trying to take it a step further. On April 11, some members of the US House and Senate introduced the Open Translation Center Act, a bill to establish a federally funded research center that translates documents from countries like China and Russia, so as to "better understand threats" from these countries, they claimed.

One of the main initiators, Mike Gallagher, is infamous for his extreme anti-China attitude. 

Li analyzed that this bill is not to promote mutual understanding between China and the US, but to aggravate the US people's unfriendly attitude toward China. "The 'Open Translation Center' and the 'Great Translation Movement' are issues in two different fields, but they are similar in nature," he told the Global Times.

Sadly, negative content forms the majority of Chinese-related posts found on US social media platforms, with the continued connivance of the platforms and the US government. Meltwater showed that so far this year, among the posts containing "Chinese" on some major platforms including X and Facebook that were released in the US, negative, neutral, and positive sentiment stood at 26.8, 59.3, and 13.8 percent respectively.

A main battlefield

The US' cognitive warfare against China is evolving from simply distorting information about China to falsifying knowledge about China - in other words, turning misinformation to "common sense" that attempts to change people's basic knowledge and understanding of China, said Dong Guanpeng, dean of the National Institute of Public Relations and Strategic Communication, Communication University of China.

Falsifying knowledge about China is much nastier than fabricating misinformation, Dong noted. "It may mislead global audiences, particularly the young ones, during their formation of perceptions and judgments about China," he told the Global Times.

Lucre's "dark humor" posts have, to some extent, misled a few X users, who forwarded their complaints about the "misdeeds" of Chinese people that Lucre mentioned. Some Chinese observers worry that, for the less knowledgeable young netizens who are unaware of such "ironic narration," these ridiculous posts may eventually become a part of their initial cognition of China and its people.

Worse still, apart from indulging in the spread of rumors, US politicians and social media platforms have also created fake accounts to proactively make up and spread content discrediting China, and even banned pro-China posts and blocked pro-China accounts.

Earlier in 2019, during the riots in Hong Kong, many users criticized Facebook and X for suppressing their posts that support the central Chinese government.  According to CNN's report, X blocked more than 900 accounts in that same period, and was followed by Facebook. These accounts were closed for posting content "undermining" the rioters in Hong Kong. 

It is no wonder that social media has become a main battlefield for the US' cognitive warfare against China, said Li.

And the cognitive warfare has shaped or influenced US people's view of China to a certain extent. A Gallup poll released in March showed that 41 percent of Americans name China as the US' greatest enemy today, making it the top perceived US adversary for the fourth straight year. 

Yet the "greatest enemy" was created by the US itself with its meaningless hostility and panic.

 "The US has since (Huawei) spiraled into a full-blown outbreak of Sinophobia - a strong word that I don't use lightly," Stephen S. Roach, a faculty member at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, wrote in his article "American Sinophobia" published in March.

 "...Excessive fear of China conveniently masks many of America's own self-inflicted problems," Roach wrote. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he quoted a line from US president Franklin Roosevelt's 1933 inaugural address, concluding that "amid today's Sinophobic frenzy, that message is well worth remembering."

Photo: Global Times

Photo: Global Times

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Malaysia’s Q1 GDP grows 4.2% on-year

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/malaysias-q1-gdp-grows-42-year-4344261

GDP up 4.2% in 1Q24



THE country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.2% in the first quarter (1Q) of this year, exceeding initial estimates and signalling that the economy is coping well amid a still volatile external environment. The final 1Q24 GDP growth number is higher than the 3.9% advance estimate as well as the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey. Already a subscriber? Log in. Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
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Saturday, May 18, 2024

The Philippines’ illegally grounded warship at Ren'ai Jiao in South Chiba Sea; ship may cause irreversible damage to marine life

 

Philippine ship may 'cause irreversible damage to marine life'



https://youtube.com/shorts/kHVYgfys70E?si=LJx3spoWSkZWVl9z


Photo: China Coast Guard



The hull and interior facilities of the illegally grounded Philippines' warship at Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef) are severely corroded, showed a set of images exclusively obtained by the Global Times from the China Coast Guard (CCG) recently.

Experts warned that the illegally grounded warship may cause irreversible and continuous damages to the marine life in the South China Sea.

Since 2023, the Philippines has acted in bad faith, and secretly supplied construction materials to the grounded warship through various means. The Philippines' repeated supplements fully exposed its intention to blatantly violate its promise to tow away the warship, and its attempt to illegally occupy China's Ren'ai Jiao with malicious intent.

Photo: China Coast Guard

Photo: China Coast Guard

The exclusive images obtained by the Global Times from the CCG show that the hull of the illegally grounded warship has damage and leaks, with a large amount of paint peeling off the hull, and many corroded rusts water directly flowing into the sea. The entire ship has almost become a pile of rusty scrap iron, with various personal items and garbage casually placed on the uncovered deck. 

Filipino military personnel are fishing on the shallow reef of Ren'ai Jiao. One of the images shows a Filipino military personnel is standing on the grounded warship and is suspected of urinating into the lagoon of Ren'ai Jiao.

The illegally grounded warship looks actually to be no longer suitable for human habitation and living. 

Photo: China Coast Guard

Photo: China Coast Guard

Several video clips captured earlier this year show that Filipino military personnel on the grounded warship not only dumped waste water directly into the sea, they also gathered on the foredeck to burn garbage. The actions of the Filipino military personnel have starkly contrasted with the pristine blue skies and clean waters near Ren'ai Jiao, showing their destruction of the marine environment.

Facing such a dilapidated warship, the Philippine authorities have repeatedly violated their promises. Instead of towing away the illegally grounded military vessel, they have attempted to carry out large-scale repairs and reinforcements on it. The transportation has been reinforced since last year.

Photo: China Coast Guard

Photo: China Coast Guard


An anonymous professional told the Global Times that since 2023, the Philippines has repeatedly illegally intruded into China's Ren'ai Jiao, and carried out illegal resupply activities for the warship. In addition to the malicious provocations, the reason behind this is that the warship is severely damaged, and the Philippines needs to resupply building materials to repair and reinforce it in order to maintain their illegal presence in China's Ren'ai Jiao. 

"But every time, the intention to secretly resupply building materials is exposed by the CCG, who resolutely stops it," the professional said.

Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that due to the fact that the warship has been grounded for nearly 25 years, the spread of ship hull paint, the dissolution of hull metal rust, the discharge of fossil fuel combustion, and domestic waste onboard the ship have been discharged for a long time on the reefs and waters around the Ren 'ai Jiao.

Photo: China Coast Guard

Photo: China Coast Guard

These toxins continue to spread around the illegally grounded ship's grounding points, causing irreversible and continuous damage to the surrounding marine life. This not only causes the death of marine animals such as fish and shrimps, but also makes cumulative damages to marine aquatic plants. Furthermore, through the food chain, it poses significant adverse effects on the marine ecosystem of the South China Sea and humanity by extension, Yang said. 

For ships constantly moving at sea, the paint and pollution of the ship could be continuously diluted by seawater. However, if it's moored or grounded at fixed points for a long time, pollution is difficult to be diluted by seawater due to a lack of water movement, resulting in a gradient of toxins centered on the warship, Yang noted.

"Among them, prominent pollutants include mercury oxide, organotin [TBT], and copper compounds. There is enough scientific research to show that these toxins can cause irreversible pathogenic pollution to marine life. More importantly, with the enrichment of the food chain, these pollutants may enter the human living circle," Yang said.  

Yang further stated that the Philippine government, for the sinister purpose of stealing territory from other countries, deliberately ran a dilapidated military ship aground on the beautiful reefs of the South China Sea, and failed to fulfill its promise to remove it for 25 years. 

Moreover, the Philippines is unable and unwilling to carry out environmental protection and pollution control on the warship, leading to a large amount of natural and man-made pollutants being directly discharged into the surrounding reefs and waters, which is extremely irresponsible and uncivilized, Yang said.

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Philippines gambling with safety of non-official personnel to garner sympathy is crazy and
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