By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 29: Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Seri Tiong King Sing has called for the culture and creative industries (CCIs) to be recognised as a new engine for economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific.
In a Facebook post, Tiong said he participated in 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) High Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries themed ‘Culture and Creative Industries: A New Catalyst for APEC Economic Cooperation’ which was held in Gyeongju, South Korea, where he delivered a keynote address.
In his address, he said that culture must not be left out of development and that diversity is not a challenge but rather the foundation of progress.
“Our experiences of multi-culturalism, multi-lingualism, and multi-faith traditions show that the richest creativity often emerges from harmony in differences, rather than uniformity,” he said in his post.
Tiong, who is also the assemblyman for Dudong and MP for Bintulu, highlighted Malaysia’s commitment to advancing CCIs through the National Cultural Policy (DAKEN).
He said that the policy outlines seven strategic thrusts aimed at fostering an inclusive society, promoting cultural heritage cultures, and driving digitalisation and innovation within the industry, in line with APEC’s sustainable development goals with the following proposals for regional cooperation:
- Integrating CCIs into regional value chains and the digital trade ecosystem: An ‘APEC Co-Creation Platform’ to enable storytellers, content creators, designers, and cultural entrepreneurs to collaborate across borders in shaping the Asia-Pacific narrative.
- The ‘Culture x Tourism x Skills’ cooperation model: APEC economies develop a regional training framework to strengthen skills in heritage guiding, creative tourism, and community-based tourism.
- Mobilising and expanding youth creative exchanges: The establishment of an APEC Creative Youth Exchange Programme to encourage young people to co-develop content, art, and digital creative products, transforming diverse voices into regional synergy.
“As ASEAN Chair in 2025, Malaysia has already spearheaded the adoption of the ASEAN Creative Economy for Sustainability Framework (ACE) at the 46th ASEAN Summit.
“This framework places creativity at the heart of sustainable development, covering cultural preservation, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth, while enhancing regional cooperation and global influence in intellectual property, creative trade, and cultural asset protection,” he said.
Tiong added that culture is the grammar of trust, which is the way societies navigate change, conflict, and aspiration.
“In the face of climate anxiety, digital disruption, and social divides, the cultural and creative industries provide the very connections we need most—connections to ourselves, to one another, and to our shared future.
“Malaysia stands ready to work hand in hand with our APEC partners to make CCIs both an economic lever and a symbol of human dignity, propelling the Asia-Pacific into a new chapter of collaborative co-creation.” — DayakDaily
