The education authorities and specialists were astonished as 27 young voices from Asia-Pacific shared their perspectives on the coexistence of civilizations in a regional English-speaking contest in Bangkok on Saturday.

Now in its second year, the MicUp! English Speaking Competition cum Belt and Road Youth English-Speaking Competition (Thailand) reached new heights, bringing together 600 young orators from local secondary schools and universities since the competition's kickoffs in Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and Nepal earlier this year, and rounded off with a rousing regional final held at Chulalongkorn University.

Thanh Theerapasiri, a Thai student from Regents International School Pattaya, and Myat Noe Phyu of MCTA: RVi Academy Mandalay in Myanmar were crowned champions in the junior and youth categories, respectively. The winners will move on to the next leg of their journey — the Global Final — to be held in Wuxi, China's Jiangsu province, next month.

This year's speech topic, Civilizations: Clash and Coexistence, was applauded for being a vital stimulus for young talent to reflect upon varied global trends and for allowing them to advocate closer bonds of friendship and multilateral cooperation.

Grabbing the audience's attention with an elaborate aqua ensemble consisting of a top inspired by the traditional Chinese qipao and a dress made from Thai silk, Roongpraew Wiwatkamolwat, a 16-year-old student of Ekamai International School in Bangkok, said it was her genuine affection for her Chinese roots and belief in cultural inclusiveness that motivated her to get into this competition and strive to excel.

"My costume echoes today's topic — civilization, which is an ongoing process of exchanges and fusion," she said, adding that her great-grandparents were from Beijing and her grandparents lived in China's Guangdong province.

"I'm a generation of such culture fusion, a mixture of Thailand and China. The culture, common values and many other connections, such as cuisine, are bridging the two nations closer than ever before," she said.

Nan Suriya Khattiya, the first runner-up in the junior category, also expressed great appreciation for the rare opportunity to engage in close and direct dialogue with many of her peers from other Asian countries.

The event coincided with the Silk Road spirit, which was "highlighted in many of today's speeches as an embodiment of coexistence and mutual learning among civilizations", Nan said. "The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China links countries from the past to the future. It's not only the exchange of goods but also people-to-people interaction."

This upbeat note, shared among contestants, also struck a chord with their Chinese counterparts. During a session with the finalists, Luo Ying, the national second runner-up in the 2022 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Competition, and a postgraduate student at Peking University, appealed for a step-up in international communication among youths.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting the dots between people, cultures and nations," she said. "The experience we share and the relationships we build are the lines that connect the dots, forming a path toward a more inclusive and understanding world."

The competition, initiated last year by VDO English, the educational arm of China Daily Hong Kong, and the RVIPS, the publishing arm of the RVi Group, a social enterprise dedicated to international education based in Singapore, aims to hold forth an annual regional celebration of linguistic prowess, take the pulse of the younger generation, and push for integration of fresh voices into cross-cultural dialogues.

"Since its launch in 2019 as one of our major undertakings capitalizing on the BRI, the competition has been aligning itself with the initiative's goals and missions, committed to promoting cultural diversity and exchanges," said Tan Yan, deputy general manager of China Daily Asia-Pacific and director of VDO English.

Argus Ang, CEO of RVi Group, said: "Applause should be given to all participants who have spoken at the stage with their public speaking power. I also want to give my wishes to them all. The future is yours. Please remember to be the best version of yourself, not just in the digital world but also the physical universe. Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."