Many young people in East Asia are finding it difficult to get good jobs, while those with jobs have to work very long hours, leading to stress and burnout. Though youth unemployment is relatively low in Southeast Asia, not many young people have high-paying jobs. Is there a way young people in China and Southeast Asia can get together to find win-win solutions to the challenges they face? I believe there is.

The youth of today have grown up in an environment where creativity is valued and monetized. Just look at the rise of social media influencers in our midst. They connect with one another in ways their parents could never have imagined when they were growing up. This combination of connectivity and creativity can lead to meaningful and new work opportunities. Good examples of such opportunities need to be highlighted and shared so that they can generate more ideas.

For example, Chinese programmers can work as freelancers to deliver projects together with their Southeast Asian counterparts. If these collaborations are successful, both parties could work together as freelancers with better pay and more flexibility to deliver such projects not just in Southeast Asia but also in developed markets such as Europe and the United States.

A friend of mine set up the Malaysian Digital Districts with the idea of networking Malaysian programmers based in smaller cities in the country with those working in Kuala Lumpur so that they could work together to "pitch" for projects in developed markets. This initiative could have gained more traction if it included programmers from other countries such as China. Malaysia and Singapore would be ideal places to start such collaborations because of the high number of Mandarin speakers as well as the presence of higher value IT projects with large companies. The connectivity that Malaysia and Singapore have with US markets would also be helpful for contract "pitching".

For Chinese and Southeast Asian youth who are more into social media, there are many opportunities for collaboration in the area of social commerce. Chinese social media influencers are already active in Malaysia, promoting it as a cost-effective destination to hang out, enjoy local delicacies, start a business and seek longer-term residency under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program.

If these Chinese social media influencers collaborate with Chinese-speaking Malaysians to promote not just the long-term residency pass but also property in strategic locations as well as education, finance and legal services, on a commercial basis with strategic partners, this could easily be a win-win value proposition for all sides. Chinese social media influencers who are experts at online selling can also assist, via referral programs for example, their counterparts in Southeast Asia to sell local products in the Chinese market as well as in other Southeast Asian countries. A growing number of social media promotion entities, such as the recently listed KL Foodie, are experts in translating their social media reach into eyeball views and finally into online purchases. Such collaborations can be helpful in combating the narrative that Chinese products are "flooding" into Southeast Asia in a lopsided manner at the expense of local manufacturers and products.

The collaborations between the youth of China and Southeast Asia need not be confined to the digital or online space. Enterprising youth can look for new opportunities in the experiential tourism space. Affluent Chinese travellers are looking for new experiences across a spectrum of activities, from adventure sports to local delicacies to off-the-beaten-path trails that only locals would know about. They are willing to pay top dollar to enjoy such unique experiences. Young people in China are well-positioned to connect with young people in Southeast Asia who can be the "hosts" of such experiential tourists.

Similarly, there may be affluent tourists in Southeast Asia who want to enjoy Shanghai like a local or visit certain unique attractions that are not so touristy in a lesser known province in China. Young people in Southeast Asia who want to run this as a business would need good contacts and partners in China for such activities.

There is already a natural "sandbox" for such collaborations to be tested, refined and then updated quickly — namely, countries with a significant number of Chinese students, such as Malaysia, Singapore and perhaps Thailand. Local youths can collaborate with enterprising Chinese students to test business ideas.

The good thing about such initiatives is that they don't require government involvement. Examples that are commercially sustainable can be shared over social media.

The youth of China and Southeast Asia can take them forward from there. In fact, some of them may already be doing so, unbeknownst to the older folks who write about them or are part of the established business communities in these countries.

The author is an adjunct professor at Taylor's University and the former deputy minister of investment, trade and industry of Malaysia.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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