Asean+3 has gone far beyond economy

ASEAN, Japan and South Korea are all important trade and investment partners of China. Together, they account for 26 per cent of China's total foreign trade. Investments from Asean, Japan and South Korea account for 13.7 per cent of China's foreign direct investment inflow.

Together, they make up the world's largest consumer market. The 10 Asean countries, China, Japan and South Korea collectively account for one-third of the world's population of seven billion.

With economic cooperation already entrenched among the 10+3, China's Communist Party Central Committee propaganda minister Liu Yunshan wants the countries to expand cooperation to other areas instead of focusing only on economic matters.

Meeting journalists of the 10+3 Media Cooperation Forum at the opulent Great Hall of the People in Beijing last week, he said cooperation should include people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

But 10+3 cooperation has certainly gone beyond the economy. Since becoming Asean's dialogue partner in 1996, China has agreed to cooperate on 11 priority areas -- agriculture, information and communication technology, human resource development, Mekong Basin Development, investment, energy, transport, culture, public health, tourism and environment. Danny Lee Chian Siong, director of community affairs development of the Asean Secretariat, acknowledges this.

"Since the opening of China in the late 1970s, we are seeing another wave of inter-cultural influences. This time around, the influence has visibly gone in both directions."

Less than 10 years ago, Lee said, the world was smitten by a Korean woman named Dae Jang Geum. She was the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty. Her story was turned into an epic South Korean television series.

"For Chinese-speaking people, including myself, she was closer to us than our next-door neighbour. Before long, Dae Jang Geum was speaking Thai, Bahasa, Vietnamese and even Arabic.

"The Korean Wave opened the way for K-pop, kimchi, and virtually everything Korean. And I am pleased to report that the Korean Wave is still alive and well today."

The world has also taken up the latest Korean craze, Gangnam Style, the dance pop single written and performed by Korean singer PSY.

A better standard of living has allowed all of us to enjoy the best of each other's cultures, said Lee.

"For some, China Central Television's period dramas of the Manchu emperors were their introduction to Chinese history. Many found that learning Mandarin was easier through karaoke. In virtually every major city in our region, you will find Thai restaurants sitting comfortably with ramen and sushi shops. Our Muslim friends are able to enjoy Chinese cooking using only halal ingredients."

And who would have thought that we could find nasi lemak, with its full condiments, and roti jala with chicken curry in a breakfast buffet spread at a five-star hotel in a northeastern province in China, bordering North Korea. It would not have come as a surprise if some big Malaysian government delegation was in town but there were only four of us Malaysians at the hotel at that time.

Lee also stressed the role of the media, especially at a time when too much is at stake for all today.

"Our economies are increasingly dependent on each other. This is particularly so when the European markets are still sorting through their troubles. The US market is slowly coming around, but more time is needed. In the meantime, we only have each other to depend on."

But for the media to play a significant role in promoting cooperation between the 13 countries, some adjustments need to be made. China, for example, has imposed a stricter visa application requirement on journalists.

A week before I left for China on assignment, I was at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur to apply for the entry visa. Upon looking at the invitation letter to the 10+3 Media Cooperation Forum, the Chinese officer manning the counter asked in fluent Bahasa Malaysia whether I was a journalist. I said yes.

He told me that my application had to be approved by the ambassador as I would be interviewing some officials while there. I was eventually issued a temporary journalist visa. I'm pretty sure that visa applications by my other colleagues from Asean countries, South Korea and Japan faced the same scrutiny. This has to be one of the few things to be tackled first.