China,Vietnam hold meeting on bilateral cooperation
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired the 16th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son in Beijing on December 10, 2024.
Noting that 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and the ChinaVietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges, Wang said that China is willing to work with Vietnam to make plans for the next stage of cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective so as to serve each other's modernization drive.
The two foreign ministers also attended events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the demarcation of the land boundary of the two countries and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the three legal documents on China-Vietnam land border and related land ports management the same day.

China, Malaysia ink maintenance agreement for ECRL mega rail project
China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which is building the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) mega rail project in Malaysia, inked an agreement on December 18, 2024 to establish an operating and maintenance company with Malaysia Rail Link (MRL), the ECRL project owner.
The signing ceremony of the joint venture agreement between MRL and CCCC for the operation and maintenance of the railway was witnessed by Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.
The ECRL extends from Malaysia’s largest transport hub Port Klang and across the peninsula to the northeastern Kelantan state. It is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the Southeast Asian country by linking its less-developed region on the east coast to the economic heartland on the west coast.

China-Cambodia cultural show celebrates people-to-people exchange year
The “Golden Promise 2024,” a China-Cambodia cultural show, was staged in Phnom Penh on December 15, 2024 to celebrate the people-to-people exchange year, attracting hundreds of spectators. Organized at the iconic Chaktomuk Theater, the glittering cultural show was jointly performed by a troupe of Chinese artists from Wuxi City in east China’s Jiangsu Province and a team of Cambodian artists from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
Cheam Yeap, first vice president of Cambodia’s National Assembly, and Ek Sam Ol, president of the Cambodia-China Friendship Association, attended the event.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin said the event was part of joint activities to mark the China-Cambodia people-to-people exchange year 2024. During the two-hour show, the Chinese artists presented traditional songs and dances, while Cambodian artists performed the Royal Ballet, a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage, and traditional music.

New air route links SW China with Jakarta, Indonesia
A direct flight route linking Guiyang, capital of southwest China’s Guizhou Province, with Jakarta, Indonesia, was launched on December 15, 2024.
The flight route is operated by Indonesian airline TransNusa and served by an Airbus A320 aircraft. Initially, it will fly one return journey each week, according to the Guizhou Civil Aviation Industry Group Co., Ltd. Inbound flights are scheduled to depart from Jakarta at 6:35 p.m. local time every Saturday, arriving in Guiyang at 1 a.m. (Beijing time) the following day. Outbound flights will depart from Guiyang at 2 a.m. on Sunday (Beijing time) and land in Jakarta at 6:25 a.m. local time.
The direct air route is set to build closer links between Guizhou and Indonesian destinations such as Bali, Surabaya and Manado, boosting tourism and economic, trade and cultural exchanges.