Western China, Malaysia launch Bridging News Kuala Lumpur Station to strengthen regional cooperation

Kuala Lumpur - The Western China International Communication Organisation (WCICO) and the Center for Advanced Studies and Research (CASR) Malaysia have established the Bridging News Kuala Lumpur Station, marking a further step in cooperation between Western China and Malaysia across research, industry services, media collaboration and people-to-people exchange with relevance to the wider ASEAN region.

At the launch ceremony during the 2026 Land-Sea Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Sang Jian, Deputy General Manager of WCICO and Mr Teah Wuen Khai, Director of Chinese Studies at CASR Malaysia, jointly unveiled the Bridging News Kuala Lumpur Station formalising a regular cooperation mechanism between the two organisations.

The Bridging News Kuala Lumpur Station combines the Western China International Communication Organisation's regional networks with CASR Malaysia's strengths in policy research, regional affairs and local expertise. It is conceived as a Malaysia-based cooperation platform, drawing on each organisation's respective capabilities while both retain their independence.

Through the coordination of research, industry and exchange resources, the platform aims to develop a long-term cooperation network focused on the following areas:

First, it will support research collaboration and policy dialogue. The two organisations intend to undertake and exchange research on economic, financial, industrial, technological and regional-cooperation issues, and through forums, seminars, roundtables and closed-door sessions, to convene representatives from government, business, academia and the professions to inform discussion on regional economic development and cross-border cooperation.

Second, it will pursue content collaboration on regional affairs. Each organisation will contribute analysis and information of international perspective and regional relevance on themes including economic development, investment, industrial transformation, the digital economy and regional cooperation, with each party retaining editorial responsibility for its own output.

Third, it will strengthen industry services and two-way resource matching. The Station intends to assist Malaysian and ASEAN enterprises seeking to enter Chongqing and other Western China markets with information, institutional linkages and industry-matching support, and to help enterprises from Western China understand Malaysia's policy environment, investment conditions, business practices and localisation requirements. In doing so, CASR places particular emphasis on cooperation that delivers durable benefit to Malaysia - technology transfer, the development of skilled local talent, and opportunities for domestic businesses through complementary and ancillary industries.

Fourth, it will encourage people-to-people and youth exchange. The two organisations aim to organise study visits, youth and media dialogues, cultural initiatives and talent-development activities that deepen mutual understanding between the peoples of China and Malaysia and build a lasting platform for exchange among young people, media professionals and industry practitioners.

CASR Malaysia will also form part of the Land-Sea Economic Forum's international cooperation network, working with other stations to facilitate information sharing, content collaboration, research exchange and project matching. The Western China International Communication Organisation has previously established Forum liaison stations with partner organisations in Italy, Peru, Singapore and Brazil.

Both organisations intend to use the Bridging News platform as a foundation for long-term cooperation and to develop it, over time, into a credible regional platform connecting Western China, Malaysia and the wider ASEAN market.

Source: Press Release - Western China International Communication Organisation (WCICO) and the Center for Advanced Studies and Research (CASR)