I am Ngion Hui Yeeng, an International Relations Master’s student at the Renmin University of China. I began my internship at the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) in March 2023 and was appointed to the Information and PR Division, which has the duty of maintaining relations with ASEAN and Chinese media, publishing information relating to ASEAN-China cooperation, and organizing media and public outreaching events. I have been tasked with translating and editing media content, event organisation support and other ad hoc duties.
The great thing about interning at the ACC is I get to see with my own eyes the application of what I have been learning at university. As an IR student specializing on China, it has been quite an experience to be able to witness China’s approach to foreign affairs and diplomacy in application. For example, I can see China’s emphasis on peace and mutual development in the work being done here as well as the activities conducted. I had the opportunity to observe ASEAN and China’s cooperation and consultation process when I attended the ACC Joint Executive Board Working Group Meeting. This meeting in particular has really opened my eyes and I am left in awe of how peaceful the consultation process was and how eager each party was to cooperated and find ways forward in this mutual cooperation effort and for each’s own country.
I am very grateful for being given the opportunities to attend the meeting the ACC Secretary General had with various parties and to see him in action. These meetings included the ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn’s visit to the ACC, the meeting with the delegation from the Malaysia-China Friendship Association and the Asia-Pacific media delegation.
Another important thing that I learned is the importance and significance of being careful with the choice of words in any form of communication. As multiple parties from multiple cultural and language background are involved, and based on the principle of mutual respect and equality, the care put into the choice of words is necessary to ensure that the right message and tone is used. I also broadened my perspectives as I spoke to various staff members here. I gained an understanding of the meaning of tourism and its power to contributing to mutual ties and understanding as well as the necessity of finding mutual interests and something that resonates with people through which people may be brought together. I found that every small and seemingly insignificant task or thing in actual fact contributes to a greater purpose so I found meaning in the simple tasks I have been given to do.
My biggest take away from this internship is that it has opened my eyes to more possibilities, which I would not have thought of before, and has made me firmer in walking this path that I have chosen, which is to play my part in fostering a more peaceful international environment. Regardless of where I go or what I do in the future, I will always remember the learnings and the experience I have had and the people I have met here.
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