China-ASEAN Esports Industry Week Kicks Off with Official Launch
23 JUL 2423 July 2024, Nanning, China PR – The official launch ceremony of the China-ASEAN Esports Industry Week was held at the Nanning Convention and Exhibition Centre last Friday. This exciting event stemmed from the partnership established earlier this year between the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) and the Big Data Development Bureau of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China.
From left: Mr. Deng Shijun, Mr. Chang Liang, and Mr. Sebastian Lau during the launching.
The ceremony featured a welcome remark from Mr. Chang Liang, Vice President of the Big Data Development Bureau of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and a keynote speech by AESF Director General, Mr. Sebastian Lau.
Mr. Lau during his keynote speech.
In his address, Mr. Lau expressed his honor at attending the historic event in Nanning, highlighting it as a significant milestone in esports development in southwest China and a step forward in further strengthening China-ASEAN relations. He emphasized that this competition would bring substantial benefits to national teams and esports enthusiasts from both Southeast Asia and China through sports and cultural exchanges and mutual cooperation.
Mr. Lau outlined AESF’s role as the Technical Delegate, ensuring the competition's fairness and excellence in collaboration with relevant industries and stakeholders. He committed to delivering a well-organized event for athletes, fans, and spectators, hoping it would foster greater understanding, cooperation, and innovation between ASEAN member states and China.
He also highlighted Asia's leadership in the esports industry, with China being the largest market, contributing over 34% of global revenue and demonstrating significant inclusiveness, with women comprising 44% of the fan base. Supported by the Olympic Council of Asia, the AESF has successfully integrated esports into the Olympic movement, evidenced by its debut as an official medal event at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. This achievement has been recognized internationally, notably with IOC President Thomas Bach advancing the first edition of the Olympic Esports Games to 2025.
Mr. Deng Shijun and Mr. Sebastian Lau during the MoU signing.
Furthermore, a memorandum of understanding was signed during the launch ceremony between Mr. Lau and Mr. Deng Shijun, Deputy General Manager of Guangxi International Expo Group, the local organizing committee, to cooperate on developing a distinctive esports intellectual property (IP) for the China-ASEAN Esports Competition.
The inaugural China-ASEAN Esports Competition is scheduled to take place in September 2024 in Nanning. National teams from all ASEAN member states and China are invited to participate in this prestigious event. In addition to the competition, an esports forum and various activities will be held to further enliven the Esports Industry Week. Further details on game titles and specific dates will be announced through official channels.