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#AWANITonight with Faye Kwan

- China: Visa-free strategy boosts tourism, promotes growth
- M’sia looks to strengthen economic ties with Europe amid U.S. tariff risks

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00:00Good evening, you're watching Awani tonight with me, Fei Kuan.
00:10Amid a threat of U.S. reciprocal tariffs creating uncertainty in global trade,
00:15Malaysia is prioritizing stronger ties with Europe.
00:19Investment Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Liu Cintong highlights that
00:23deepening economic relations with Europe is essential for navigating the ongoing
00:28global economic challenges.
00:31Liu emphasized the importance of having major European economies, particularly Italy,
00:36as close economic allies, while also strengthening ASEAN-EU relations.
00:41He added that he would hold a closed-door meeting with Italy's Deputy Minister of Enterprises
00:46and made-in-Italy Valentino Valentini to discuss bilateral cooperation.
00:51The European Union, like others, was not spread from President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs.
00:56The U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on EU cars, steel and aluminium in March,
01:02followed by 20% tariffs on other goods in April.
01:06The 20% rate was later halved, giving both sides a 90-day window to negotiate a broader trade agreement.
01:12Meanwhile, the EU agreed to suspend its planned countermeasures,
01:1625% tariffs on €21 billion worth of U.S. goods,
01:20for the same 90-day period to allow space for negotiations.
01:23Malaysia will push for greater engagement between ASEAN and BRICS to enhance regional and economic cooperation,
01:33says Datuk Sri Muhammad Hassan.
01:35The foreign minister says this will be among key agendas at the BRICS foreign minister's meeting
01:40in Rio de Janeiro taking place from April 28th to 29th.
01:44During the meeting, Muhammad said Brazil will focus on six priority areas,
01:52including global health, trade, investment and finance,
01:55climate change, artificial intelligence, as well as multilateral peace and security.
02:00He noted that these priorities also align with Malaysia's national interests.
02:04Muhammad added that the emphasis on trade and investment was timely,
02:08given global economy's uncertainties following unilateral tariffs by the U.S.
02:12The BRICS foreign minister's meeting is a key precursor to the BRICS leaders' summit
02:18on July 6th and 7th under Brazil's chairmanship.
02:21Malaysia officially became a BRICS partner on January 1st this year.
02:28China is actively promoting visa-free travel to boost tourism and international exchanges,
02:35extending its unilateral visa-free policies to 38 countries just last year.
02:40Most recently, the country extended a five-year visa-free travel agreement with Malaysia,
02:46a deal that signals deeper regional cooperation.
02:49Datuk Prof. Dr. Awang Azman Awang Paui from University Malaya
02:53explains how this strategy stands to benefit China on a much broader scale.
02:57China tourism sector is bouncing back from COVID-19.
03:06In 2024, it saw an impressive 48.8% jump in foreign visitor rising to 82 million up from 55 million the year before.
03:21Over half of the DOS visitor camps thanks to visa-free or simplified entry policies.
03:31China is a transit hub.
03:33Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu want to be a major global transit stop.
03:41Now, traveller heading to Asia or Europe via Chinese airline can enjoy a short stay in China
03:51that have boosted the aviation sector, local tourism and airport economies.
03:57Other countries watching this move by China.
04:01They are working closely.
04:05By early 2025, China offered visa-free entry to 38 countries including Germany, France, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
04:19The countries in ASEAN like Indonesia and Vietnam are exploring similar ideas especially to attract traveller from China and the West.
04:29visa-free traveller typically spend 30% to 40% more per trip compared to visa-bound traveller.
04:39Actually, that is a huge for local economies.
04:44So, many countries see visa-free access as a fast-track to boosting tourism and the threat.
04:51Now, amid trade tensions, Datuk Prof. Dr. Awan Asman says China's visa-free push is also seen as part of a broader strategy to expand its global influence.
05:03It ties into China's larger ambitions under the Belt and Road Initiative, supporting cross-border trade, digitalisation and stronger economic ties worldwide.
05:13Is this part of bigger strategy by China to grow its global influence?
05:20I believe this, yes, this is just one piece of much bigger puzzle.
05:28Under the Belt and Road Initiative, EASI Travel helped with cross-border collaboration, infrastructure, checks and academic exchanges to the digital street road.
05:40So, I believe that China linked this travel policy with initiative in digital threat, AI cooperation and cross-border e-commerce.
05:50So, this visa policy very smart soft diplomacy.
05:56It's about building trust, growing interdependence and positioning China as a good connector in travel, threat and technology.
06:10We'll be back with more after the break. Stay tuned.
06:14China has pledged to achieve its economic growth target of around 5% for 2025.
06:43Despite its ongoing trade war with the US, the National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, China's state planner,
06:52announces plans to roll out new policies in the second quarter to respond to current economic conditions.
06:59Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the NDRC, said the government would introduce a series of measures to shore up the employment market.
07:07These included encouraging companies to maintain stable hiring, expanding vocational training schemes and boosting employment through public works programs.
07:17Zhao added that Beijing was stepping up efforts to implement previously announced policies,
07:22such as a scheme to boost consumption and the establishment of a venture capital guidance fund, likely to take effect over the next few months.
07:30The People's Bank of China also announced further cuts to interest rates and adjustments to the reserve requirements for commercial banks,
07:38while reaffirming its commitment to maintaining a stable yuan.
07:41The International Monetary Fund and Investment Bank Goldman Sachs recently lowered their economic growth forecast for China over 2025 and into 2026,
07:52citing the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs.
07:54In a research report published over the weekend, Goldman Sachs warned that tariffs on Chinese imports could put as many as 16 million jobs at risk in China.
08:07Meanwhile, China has rejected claims from US President Donald Trump that he received a phone call from Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
08:15Beijing's foreign ministry says the two heads of state have not been in contact and that both countries have yet to engage in consultations regarding tariff issues.
08:26In an interview last week with Time magazine, Trump claimed his administration was talking to China to reach a tariff deal and that Xi had called him.
08:36However, US Treasury Scott Besson said talks have yet to start.
08:39Beijing also continues to deny any such conversation took place, adding that if the US wishes to resolve the issue through dialogue, it must stop threatening and blackmailing China.
08:51Since Trump took office in January, both countries have imposed tariffs of over 100% on each other's goods.
08:58China has exempted some US imports from its 125% tariffs and, as of last Friday, is asking companies to identify critical goods.
09:09In other news, Japan and Vietnam have agreed to boost bilateral trade and uphold global rules of the free flow of goods.
09:18This follows a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pah Min Chin as both countries continue talks with Washington to avoid the impact of new tariffs.
09:29The two leaders signed four cooperation agreements, which involved boosting trade in energy transition products and collaborating on semiconductor research and development.
09:41Vietnam is a major assembly hub for Japanese manufacturers, including Honda, Canon and Panasonic,
09:47with total investments amounting to US$78 billion by Japanese companies, according to Vietnam's finance ministry.
09:54Earlier this month, the White House announced bilateral tariffs of 46% on Vietnam and 24% on Japan,
10:01though these duties have been temporarily paused until July.
10:05Ishiba's first trip to Vietnam and his visit to the Philippines tomorrow marked the latest high-level East Asian meetings amid escalating global uncertainty triggered by US tariffs.
10:17Japan was also urged to increase investment in Vietnamese infrastructure projects.
10:21The country has been involved in preliminary studies for a proposed US$67 billion high-speed railway connecting Hanoi to the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh,
10:32Vietnam's most ambitious infrastructure project to date.
10:36However, railway cooperation was not explicitly mentioned in the latest agreements,
10:41and Vietnam has said it planned to finance the project largely on its own.
10:45South Korea says it is unlikely to finalise a trade deal with the US before its presidential election on June 3rd.
10:56Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Soon-tik said it is theoretically impossible for the two countries
11:03to agree on a comprehensive trade package by late May or early June.
11:08Both countries agreed last week to craft a trade package aimed at removing new US tariffs before the pause on reciprocal tariffs ends on July 8th.
11:19Seoul has requested exemptions from tariffs on autos, steel and other goods,
11:24and has offered cooperation in shipbuilding, energy and reducing trade imbalances.
11:28According to Park, South Korea is also considering sending a delegation to Alaska to review a US$44 billion liquefied natural gas project,
11:38which the US hopes to fund with investment from partners like South Korea and Japan.
11:43He said Seoul planned to form six working groups with the US focused on tariff and non-tariff exemptions,
11:48economic security and investment cooperation, with meetings set to start next week.
11:53South Korea will hold a snap election on June 3rd after former President Yoon Suk-yul was ousted for his role in briefly imposing martial law in December.
12:02Meanwhile, the US is racing to conclude trade deals with key partners like Japan, South Korea and India ahead of the July 8th deadline.
12:12For the first time in two months, Chinese AI service DeepSeek is available again on South Korean app markets.
12:19Downloads of the app were initially suspended after authorities cited breaches of data protection rules.
12:28According to South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission,
12:32DeepSeek had transferred user data and prompts without permission when the service first launched in the country in January.
12:39The commission said DeepSeek was allowed to resume downloads after at least partially implementing its recommendations.
12:46In a revised privacy policy note applied to the app,
12:49DeepSeek now notifies users that it processes all personal information in compliance with South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act.
12:58The company added that users have the option to refuse the transfer of their personal information to several companies in the US and China.
13:06That report wraps up Awani tonight.
13:11Check out our web portal, keeping you informed on the critical events shaping our world.
13:17All in one place at international.astroawani.com
13:21That's all for now. I'm Fei Kuan. Thank you for watching and good night.