Working Lunch between IPRD ACC and Information and Public Relations Officials from ASEAN Embassies in Beijing

On 15 January 2014, Ms. Lada Phumas, Director of Information and Public Relations Division (IPRD) of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), hosted a working lunch for the information and public relations officials of ASEAN Embassies in Beijing. This was the 1st  time of this year IPRD organized the lunch meeting with its counterparts from ASEAN side. This was also in response to the call raised at the 3rd Joint Executive Board (JEB) and Joint Council (JC) Meetings for ACC in December 2013 in its respective divisions to have more interaction with ASEAN Embassies in Beijing, particularly with regards to its annual work programme.

The meeting was productive and substantive. It had 3 main objectives which included (1) briefing on the outcomes of the 3rd JEB and JC Meetings of ACC and familiarizing the ASEAN officials with ACB's role in ACC's organizational structure; (2) sharing information on the current status of few pending projects of IPRD from 2013; and (3) exchanging views and deliberating on the 8 approved IPRD projects for the year 2014 by the 3rd JC Meeting.

IPRD Director expressed her heartfelt appreciation to ACB for the generous support to IPRD during the past year, and looked forward to future cooperation between the two sides. The ASEAN representatives commended the good work of IPRD in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between ASEAN and China, took note of the new projects of IPRD, and pledged their continued support to IPRD.

At the end of this gathering, the ASEAN representatives thanked IPRD for convening this useful and informative meeting in a pleasant and cordial atmosphere, in which they felt easy to exchange views in a more specific and frank manner.