South China Morning Post (SCMP), Hong Kong’s top English-language daily, is planning to expand the scope of its readership and coverage in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, according to its executives who met with Consul General Antonio A. Morales on Friday, 9 November 2018.

Consul General Morales met with a combined SCMP marketing and editorial team, led by Deputy Executive Editor Zuraida Ibrahim, in Causeway Bay to discuss ways Hong Kong’s newspaper of record can engage new readers and subsequently expand its market in the Philippines through wider coverage and organizing events and grassroots activities.

Ms Ibrahim was joined Razlan Manjaji, International Marketing Director for Strategy & Special Projects, and Irene Yuen, SCMP Marketing Director for Brand and Content Strategy. Consul General Morales was accompanied by Consul Roderico C. Atienza.

“We welcome SCMP’s interest in expanding its readership and engaging with high-ranking government and business leaders in the Philippines,” said Consul General Morales, who was invited by SCMP to its inaugural China Conference, held on 10-11 October 2018 at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

The China Conference, which is expected to be held annually in a neighboring city, brought together 65 speakers from China and Southeast Asia to examine how the world’s second largest economy will conduct itself in the region. Over 1,110 participants from the government, academia, business, media and other sectors participated in the two-day event.

The China Conference in Kuala Lumpur was the first China Conference organized by SCMP outside of Hong Kong. The newspaper, which is completely owned by Alibaba, the world's biggest e-commerce group, is considering a number of Southeast Asian capitals, including Manila, as the venue for next year’s event.

Apart from the China Conference, which has a special focus on Southeast Asia, SCMP also continues to organize a similar event in Hong Kong and is also planning to establish one for the North American market.