By Hugo Santos

 

The annual Southeast Asia forum hosted in Guangzhou at the South China Normal University (SCNU); the flagship event was held despite a multipolar environment with Southeast Asia being a spotlight in global affairs. Experts from various fields are invited from the academe, NGOs, business leaders and youth leaders. The convergence of experts had a common understanding collaborating in all sectors throughout the region is very beneficial to China’s Greater Bay area considering its proximity in the region. The Greater Bay area will have partnerships with its regional counterparts in the region from business and commerce to people to people exchanges between educational institutions such as Universities and colleges.

The conference environment

The two-day conference was filled with activities and sessions on various topics that matters in the region such as the rise of AI and digitalization in ASEAN and Timor-Leste. The Southeast Asian region is a hotspot for the digital economy as majority of the population are the younger generation so reducing digital barriers is a challenge for the 11 countries to address to enhance connectivity in all sectors such as digital payments and other government services. The agricultural sector is also important due to certain countries that has a huge land for agriculture and majority of them are neighbors of China e.g., Mekong region. Multiple conferences were held on the second day to focus on certain areas of development between the collaboration between China and the region. The final session of the forum was China’s focus on the South-South cooperation focusing on the Global South countries which includes Southeast Asia, China aims to partner-up with institutions to focus on the research on the benefits of collaborating with other developing countries.

How the forum benefits the Philippines?

The Philippines was represented by the academe particularly the University of the Philippines (UP) through Associate Professor Henelito Sevilla Jr., During Mr. Sevilla’s visit a memorandum of understanding was signed between SCNU and UP as well as other universities in Southeast Asia. The MOU is a testament that the Philippines still engages with China in an academic level which is another dimension in track two diplomacy where there is a safe environment for critical thinking amongst experts in international relations. During the speech of Mr. Sevilla, the UP professor highlighted the long history of Philippine-China relations dating back to the pre-colonial era where the Guangdong province is a place of trade and commerce during those times. The atmosphere has a lighter tone to the audience considering that the history of the bilateral relations between Beijing and Manila were very rich despite current geopolitical tensions. The 2024 Southeast Asia forum concluded with regional programs such as excursions to the city of Guangzhou for the delegates to immerse themselves in the region.

   

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