ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn has urged deeper rule‑of‑law cooperation with China to safeguard regional trade from transnational crimes and translate their comprehensive strategic partnership into tangible outcomes.
Legal cooperation has often lagged behind economic ties, but Kao said strengthening institutional frameworks is vital as ASEAN and China mark 35 years of dialogue relations. In a recent interview, he shared his vision for advancing cooperation by building legal alliances and enhancing law enforcement capacity.
"This is a very important year for both sides, ASEAN and China. With the establishment of this alliance of various institutions, particularly the education alliance in the field of law, I think it is important, particularly as we work to transform what's in the Plan of Action. To implement the CSP [comprehensive strategic partnership], is to concretize that, to make it tangible," said Kao.
"It's clear that we've been doing a lot of cooperation in areas of trade, investment, tourism, connectivity among others. So, what we need now is to make sure that our trade will not be affected by transnational crimes. And what's important is that we need to enhance our cooperation in the legal sector. This alliance of schools and universities working together side by side, on the one hand, is to increase capacity, training, at the same time to promote better understanding of the legal cooperation. I think that's where our law enforcement sector will have to do a lot more together," said the ASEAN chief.
Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.
ASEAN chief urges deeper rule‑of‑law cooperation with China to safeguard trade, partnership
The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.
The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.
The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.
In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.
This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.
A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.
A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.
This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.
CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival
