The first ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Summit was held in Wuxi on May 12, aiming to "innovate media cooperation for a shared future".

Mainstream media from China and the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – attended the summit.

Yang Liqun, deputy director of the Jiangsu provincial press office, spoke about the province's economic and social status, and highlighted Jiangsu's efforts in promoting intergovernmental coordination under the Belt and Road Initiative, especially the Cambodian Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone developed by Wuxi-based garment giant Hodo Group.

While Yang Xiuping, secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center, praised Wuxi as the cradle of China's national industries in her speech, she also expressed hope that the relationship between China and ASEAN countries would become increasing successful in the near future.

During the event, participants of the forum had a field trip to HOdo Group, where they visited the factory, exhibition hall and mall, and experienced the diversified business philosophy and the unique culture of HOdo Group.

Mr. Zhou Haijiang, Vice President of All-China Chamber of Industry & Commerce and Chairman of the Board and CEO of HOdo Group, and Mr. Chen Jiangang, Chairman of Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, Cambodia, gave a briefing on the company. HOdo has been guided under the bounden duty of creating national brands since its establishment in 1957. As of now, its products have covered four domains, namely garment, rubber tire, bio-pharmaceuticals and real estate. Its revenue exceeded 60 billion yuan, creating jobs directly and indirectly for 100,000 people.

In 2017, the revenue aggregate of HOdo Group ranked the 82th among the top 500 Chinese private enterprises. Its brand ranked the 84th among the top 500 Chinese brands.

HOdo Group has been adhering to the idea of “all-win of shareholders, employees, clients, suppliers, partners, governments, environment and the society”. This idea was successfully implemented as the Group developed and built the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in Cambodia.

The Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone was regarded as a model of China-Cambodia friendly cooperation and a model of win-win cooperation of “Belt and Road”, which was widely recognized by leaders, people, and media of the two countries.

HOdo Group took it as an honor to co-organize the 1st ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum, and hoped to establish close contacts with the media in China and ASEAN countries through this forum, disseminate the fruitful outcomes of practical cooperation between China and ASEAN, and allow more people aware of the huge potentials of jointly building “the Belt and Road” by China and ASEAN.

Participants from China and ASEAN all spoke highly of the positive outcomes of the forum and wished that the forum could be continued as a long-term mechanism and platform for media exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and China.