Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Shum Jian Wei
THE Hanwang Forum that took place on Sept 17 and 18 displayed the greater awareness of various stakeholders towards a sustainable environment.
Themed “One Belt One Road & Asean Economic Community”, the state of Penang was given the honour to host this forum of international stature due to the state’s reputation as a strategic location with a vibrant culture that connects the world to Southeast Asia.
The event featured a roundtable discussion that emphasised Penang as a potential state to pioneer cooperation and development on seven key areas, namely Disaster Management, Economic Development and Investment, Ecological and Sustainable Environment, Halal Food Market and Services, Tourism and Culture, Human Capital Development and Health Care.
This very first Penang Hanwang Forum, furthermore, aimed to hold dialogues so as to share knowledge and experience and harness ideas to establish regional and sub-regional cooperation among Asean countries on sustainable development in creating and achieving mutual economic and social benefits of “One Belt, One Road” with Penang as the focal point.
In addition, it was intended that the forum would raise awareness on the importance of establishing a framework and cooperation in development of sustainable cities (eco-cities) along “One Belt, One Road” with Penang as a model.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, in his speech at the forum, shed light on several characteristics which are of utmost importance in today’s global economy, China’s undisputed economic importance in the region and the roles Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia can play in the current economic trend.
“This construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt has several defining characteristics. The first is win-win cooperation. It is based on the principles of co-commerce, co-building and sharing and is dedicated to establishing a community with shared interests, responsibilities and destiny.
“The second characteristic is its openness and inclusiveness. China’s plans will be coordinated with the strategic development of involved nations and integrated with various industries to balance the concerns, interests and benefits of all,” Lim said.
“The third characteristic is that it is a positive and pragmatic strategy, prioritising the promotion of infrastructural interconnectivity and cooperation in the areas of trade, industry, energy, finance, culture and the environment in order to gradually build up a pattern of large-scale regional cooperation,” he added.
“The fourth characteristic is its flexibility and efficiency. Multiple cooperation models will be explored by taking into account conditions in different nations. The idea of the joint construction of a Silk Road Economic Belt fits the development needs of the countries involved, including Southeast Asia,” he noted.
Also present at the event were Paya Terubong assemblymember Yeoh Soon Hin who’s also the organising chairman for the forum, exco member for Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Phee Boon Poh, Chinese Consul-General Wu Jun, Foreign Minister of Nepal Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, ambassadors and high commissioners and heads of department from various government agencies.
The name Hanwang Forum was based on the the town of Hanwang, one of the three state-level earthquake memorial sites of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Interestingly, the bell tower in Hanwang Township in Deyang Sichuan Province froze forever on all four of its sides at 2.28pm on May 12, 2008, marking the tragic moment when the earthquake struck.
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