The departure ceremony kicks off in Lanzhou New District, Gansu province on Oct 31. [Photo by Tao Changshun/gxnews.com.cn]

The 2018 China-ASEAN International Touring Assembly, or the China-ASEAN Journalists Rally, kicked off in the city of Lanzhou, Gansu province on Oct 31.

The departure ceremony was held in Lanzhou, an important node city of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative Southern Transport Corridor. More than 120 people, including drivers, staff members and journalists from China and 10 ASEAN countries attended.

Setting out from Lanzhou, the team heads for Xi'an on Oct 31, and then Hanzhong on Nov 1. [Photo by Tao Changshun/gxnews.com.cn]

Co-sponsored by the General Administration of Sport of China, the People's Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the ASEAN Secretariat, the 19-day event is expected to run through Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi in China, and Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The event will travel a total of 10,000 kilometers.

Running for 11 years, the event has witnessed the deepening relationship between China and ASEAN. This year is the 15th anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, as well as the second year of the launch of the Southern Transport Corridor. This event will be a milestone in the friendship between China and ASEAN countries, marking a big step in regional integration. 

The dancing drum is performed at the ceremony. [Photo by Tao Changshun/gxnews.com.cn]