01. Wang exchanges views with Philippine minister

Apr. 5， 2022 （China Daily） — China and the Philippines should remove any disturbances and manage differences calmly and properly so as not to affect the overall situation of their bilateral relations， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on April 4 as he met with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Tunxi， Anhui province. The two foreign ministers exchanged views on the South China Sea and agreed that maritime issues should be managed appropriately in their relations. Wang emphasized that inappropriate actions in particular should be prevented so as not to disturb or damage their ties as well as stability in the South China Sea.

02. Bank of China in Cambodia launches new function of mobile banking UnionPay QR code payment

Apr. 1， 2022 （Xinhua） — The Bank of China Phnom Penh Branch has officially released the new function of UnionPay QR code payment for mobile banking， said its press statement on April 1. Mobile banking UnionPay QR code refers to scanning or generating a UnionPay standard QR code through BOC mobile banking for payment. Customers need to download the BOC mobile banking APP， scan the UnionPay QR code or generate a UnionPay QR code through the “Scan” function， then they can make payments at nearly 31 million merchants in about 45 countries and regions around the world.

03. Cooperation boosts region’s prosperity

Apr. 1， 2022 （China Daily） — In the context of the long-standing Sino-Malaysian friendship， the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has given full play to its unique geographical advantages to promote practical cooperation with Malaysia through the advancement of its industrial parks. China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park is the flagship project of investment cooperation between China and Malaysia. Adjacent to the Qinzhou Free Trade Port Area， the park covers 55 square kilometers， with a planned population of 500，000. The park has been constructed in three phases， and the first phase is 15 km2， of which the startup area is 7.87 km2.

04. China， Thailand agree to enhance traditional friendship

Apr. 2， 2022 （Xinhua） — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on April 2 with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in Tunxi， east China’s Anhui province. Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Thailand， Wang said China is willing to advance all-round cooperation with Thailand. Wang said both sides should step up consultations on the Belt and Road cooperation plan outline and joint action plan， and accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway.

05. Rail line linking Laos sees passenger， cargo growth

Apr. 5， 2022 （China Daily） — The China-Laos Railway has played a robust role in bolstering passenger and cargo transportation over the past four months， greatly facilitating travel and helping promote the China-Laos Economic Corridor， according to China State Railway Group. As of April 4， about 2.25 million passengers and 1.31 million metric tons of cargo had been transported on the line since its opening on December 3， 2021. With a length of about 1，000 kilometers and starting in Kunming， capital of Yunnan province， the line travels south to end in Vientiane， capital of Laos.

06. Malaysia out to build on China bonds

Apr. 8， 2022 （China Daily） — Malaysia， the first country to ink an intergovernmental agreement with China for vaccine development， is looking to attract more Chinese pharmaceutical companies to make vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases， the nation’s ambassador in Beijing said. Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said China has shown a strong commitment to helping the developing world， including Malaysia， in fighting the pandemic， and he is optimistic for heightened bilateral cooperation in this field. The country has so far secured about 30 million doses of Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines， including locally made doses.

07. Singapore PM says Pacific region more respectful of China’s handling of COVID-19

Apr. 12， 2022 （Xinhua） — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the Pacific region is a lot more respectful of what the Chinese did in handling COVID-19 than the Americans， the Singapore Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported on April 11. Lee said in a dialogue with the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board earlier this April that the United States blames the spread of the virus mostly on China， saying that right at the beginning it did not promptly detect， declare and wipe out COVID-19.

08. Slower commuter service to be added to Laotian side of China-Laos Railway

Apr. 13， 2022 （China Daily） — Starting on April 13， passengers using the China-Laos Railway in Laos can take slower commuter trains within the country， the China State Railway Group said. Regular trains will travel at up to 120 kilometers per hour， for commutes between Laotian capital Vientiane and Boten， a border city. Travelers can also take bullet trains between the two cities， which run at up to 160 km per hour. Eight bullet train services and two regular services will go into operation， improving capacity and offering travelers more choice.

·Sources： Xinhua， China Daily

·Editor in Charge： Chen Zhiying