On 18 October 2019, the launching ceremony of “the Thousand Miles on the Silk Road - 2019 Amazing ASEAN” which is jointly advised by International Promotion Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee (IPBPDCPCCC), International Cooperation Department of National Radio and Television Administration, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and Publicity Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee (PDCPCSPC) and co-hosted by China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) and Shaanxi Broadcasting Corporation (SXBC), was held at the National Stadium in Beijing. Mr. Ling Li, Deputy Director-General of IPBPDCPCCC, Mr. Ma Chuanxin, Deputy Director-General of PDCPCSPC, Mr. Chen Lujun, President of CICC and Mr. Hu Jintao, President of SXBC, attended the event among 200 participants from business, academic and media sectors. On behalf of ACC, Mr. Wang Zhiquan, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC attended the event.

At the event site, the dignitaries presented flags to the 10 fleet representatives. Deputy Director-General Ling Li announced the departure of the fleets. Deputy Director-General Ma Chuanxin, President Chen Lujun and President Hu Jintao delivered speeches respectively. Deputy Director Wang Zhiquan sealed the customs clearance document to mark the Beijing leg of the trip. Waving the flags, the participants set off from the National Stadium in Beijing and embarked on the journey of “the Thousand Miles on the Silk Road” with aspiration for sincere exchanges and peaceful development.

According to the event co-hosts, the fleets will travel to all 10 ASEAN countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam via several provinces and autonomous regions in China including Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi by multiple means of transportation such as car, plane and ship. The whole journey will span 30,000 kilometers and is expected to last 100 days.