NEW ASIA CURRENTS (NAC), the media platform for the Commonwealth of World Chinatowns (CWC) was officially launched on Sept 6, 2025 at the Grand Ballroom of JEN Penang Georgetown by Shangri-La, in conjunction with the CWC inaugural Conference 2025.
Founded by veteran media practitioner Lim Siang Jin with former journalist, Sebastian Lim as its editor, the New Asia Currents in the words of Sebastian, offers news by Asia, for Asia and the world.
Its sister sites, Postscript NAC and NAC Focus, which represent the new age of the media, offer connection, collaboration and shared insights.
The content of New Asia Currents is growing in importance in tandem with the region’s rise as the main economic growth engine of the world.
Sebastian said in a media world dominated by western narratives, too many news and stories from the Asian region, particularly in southeast Asia, remain untold or unreported. This is where New Asia Currents hopes to tap, added Sebastian.
CWC in itself is a new entity, envisioned to bring technology, arts and culture which lie on the frontiers into the mainstream of society.
Started in March 2025, NAC published its inaugural PDF digest in May, featuring all stories and interviews from March to May this year. The digest is available in both soft and printed formats, where each story contains a QR code that links back to the full article on the NAC media for seamless access.
NAC also hopes to expand its news coverage through NAC Focus with the support of advertisers, partners and collaborators. The first NAC Focus on Zheng He received support from Sulia Chan, of Zheng He Society of New York, Dr Wang Sheng-wei, of China-U.S. Friendship Exchange Inc. and Ian Hudson of 1421 Foundation.
For their support, a token gift was presented to the three by both Winfred Khoo, Managing Director of CWC Enterprise Pte Ltd and Lim Siang Jin, advisor to NAC. Earlier, Sebastian presented Khoo a mock copy of the first edition of the NAC Newsletter as part of the launch. Invited guests and diners were also shown the launch video produced by NAC. The video is now available on YouTube. To watch, just click on this link:
A signed copy of the book by Zheng He researcher, Dr Wang Sheng-wei, titled Chinese Global Exploration in the Pre-Columbian Era, fetched RM300 in a silent auction held at the launch. Her latest book, titled Chinese Explored Asia was auctioned earlier at the opening of the CWC Conference on Sept 5. 2025, and it fetched RM1,500. It was won by Mr Loh Lean Chooi.
Before the launch of NAC, invited and paying guests were served cocktails at the ballroom foyer. A collection of artworks by local artists were on display for silent auction. Also for auction were several items of Peranakan jewellery and brooches from Dato' Lillian Tong’s collections.
The guests of honour for the night included Dato' Dr Ooi Kee Beng, the executive director of Penang Institute, and Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat, president of Yayasan Bakti Nusa Malaysia. Ooi said CWC is an essential platform to meet the challenges of the evolving economic order as the United States opts to be more insular and inclusive. He added that in a multipolar world, we need to adapt and find new trends and technologies which CWC can explore and offer.
Meanwhile, Ong called on CWC to explore the economic potential under China's grand development charter of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He said that BRI can also consist of culture, arts, historical research and the new age ways of healthcare.
Dinner with Emily treat
Diners were treated to a fabulous Dinner with Emily show, while they enjoyed a specially curated Peranakan menu.
Dinner with Emily is a poignant musical by Musical Theatre Ltd (MTL), that explores three decades of love, ambition, tradition, and heartbreak through the life of a determined Nyonya woman.
Told in three acts and woven with original songs, the musical revue written by Stella Kon, charts Emily's transformation from a spirited young girl to the formidable matriarch of a wealthy household — and the painful sacrifices she has to make along the way. Guests were served the fine Peranakan cuisine, specially curated for this theatre revue during the intermission of each act.
The menu included home made choon piah (spring rolls) with chicken lobak with condiments, salted vegetable duck soup, nyonya inchi kabin chicken with otak-otak fish served with spicy nyonya sauce and vegetable acar ratatouille with blue rice. Diners also enjoyed the dessert featuring black glutenous rice porridge with longan and rice dumpling accompanied by an assorted nyonya kueh such as angku kueh, kueh talam and pulut tai tai.
