ACC Secretary General Met with the ASEAN Foundation Executive Director at the ASEAN-China Centre Secretariat

On 27 August 2013, H.E. Mr. Ma Mingqiang, ASEAN-China Centre Secretary General, welcomed the ASEAN Foundation Executive Director, Dr. Makarim Wibisono, who visited the ACC Secretariat for the first time. They had a fruitful meeting by sharing information on the establishment, structure and activities of ACC and the ASEAN Foundation respectively, as well as exchanging views on possible projects and proposals to be conducted in the future. Mr. Zhang Chenggang, Director of the Department of Asian, African & Latin American Affairs of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, also joined the meeting.

SG Ma emphasized roles and functions of ACC as a one-stop information and activities centre to promote ASEAN-China cooperation. ACC has done its utmost and is committed to do more to meet the mandate set out by the Governments of 10 ASEAN Member States and China. Dr. Wibisono congratulated ACC for its achievements in less than two years since it was officially launched. Many successful activities had been organized to enhance ASEAN-China relations in terms of trade, investment, tourism, education and culture. Dr. Wibisono showed his keen interests for the ASEAN Foundation to work closer with ACC, particularly on networks for business, education, culture and media connection. Capacity building and people-to-people linkages, as tools to promote mutual understanding and trust, are high on the agenda of cooperation for ACC and the ASEAN Foundation. In this regard, Dr. Wibisono also provided useful information on ASEAN and China Business Schools Network (BisNet), which could be one of possible areas of future cooperation.

The ASEAN Foundation was established by the ASEAN Leaders on 15 December 1997 in Kuala Lumpur during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit to help promote ASEAN awareness as well as people-to-people contact through scholarships, fellowships and other exchanges, so as to bring about shared prosperity and a sustainable future to all 10 ASEAN Member States.The ASEAN Foundation is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.