ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn has called for more exchanges between the young people from China and ASEAN countries to promote peace, cooperation and development in the region.
During an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Jakarta, Kao elaborated on the significance of youth exchanges, describing them as essential to enhancing China-ASEAN relations and empowering the leaders of tomorrow.
"The youth is the future of our region, of our ASEAN, as well as China. They are the future leaders. So, we have to invest in our youth. Today, ASEAN youth account for about one third already of the population of ASEAN. So, I think we have to reach out to the youth, whether in ASEAN or China. I have to promote ASEAN public diplomacy. It's important that in the case when I visit China, I want to ensure that Chinese youth become more aware of ASEAN and to encourage them to engage ASEAN, because it's important to get used to working together. At the end of the day, it is up to them to promote peace, cooperation and development. So, that is why I think it's important for us to build a relationship, start as early as possible for ASEAN," he said.
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
ASEAN secretary-general calls for closer youth exchanges with China
Senior executives of multinational giants attending the China Development Forum 2025 have highlighted the importance of strengthening global cooperation to build stable global industrial and supply chains for common development. At a symposium focused on the global industrial and supply chains during the forum on Sunday, participants said the global industrial and supply chains are experiencing great volatility and uncertainty under the influence of factors such as geopolitical conflicts and tariff policies.
They called for continued international cooperation to ensure that the global industrial and supply chains can withstand the unexpected external shocks.
"Billions of dollars have already been expended on these supply chains for them to be as effective and efficient as they are today. And the cracks that we are seeing in this, I think, now present numerous problems. Take copper smelters, for example. When there's more than enough capacity for us already in the world, we then now move into an environment where this inefficient capital allocation and further costs are going to be pushed all the way through the whole of the system. That means we do have to come together across borders and industries," said Duncan Wanblad, CEO of Anglo American, a leading global mining company, at the symposium.
Other foreign CEOs said that strengthening cooperation with China in industrial and supply chains was why they had taken the trip to China this time.
"There are some international trade tensions, and there are many, many opportunities. We see much more demand for aluminum, for copper, and for battery materials, following the very significant development of battery manufacturing and electrical vehicles in China. And [there is a] need to supply with short notice. And that's really our job from Rio Tinto to be able to help China have a full supply chain," said Jakob Stausholm, CEO of British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, on the sidelines of the forum. "First we've learned a tremendous amount about the global supply chain and being resilient over the past few years. And we've always made sure we reflected that here in China. There's a tremendous supply chain for the elevator industry here and we rely on it. This is our largest manufacturing locations anywhere in the world. And so we take advantage of the supply chain here not just for China in China, but also in China for the world," said Judy Marks, CEO of world-leading elevator manufacturer Otis Worldwide Corporation.
The China Development Forum 2025 take place from March 23 to 24 this year, with its opening ceremony gathering around 720 attendees, including entrepreneurs, government officials, experts and representatives from international organizations from home and abroad.
Foreign CEOs stress int'l cooperation to ensure smooth global industrial, supply chains
