ACC Secretary-General Attended the Opening Ceremony of the 10th China-Northeast Asia Expo and the 8th High-level Forum on Northeast Asia Cooperation

On 1 September 2015, ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Secretary-General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping attended the Opening Ceremony of the 10th China-Northeast Asia Expo held in Changchun, Jilin Province. The Expo was jointly hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission as well as the People’s Government of Jilin Province. H.E. Mr. Wang Yang, Vice Premier of the State Council of the China,H.E. Mr. Bayin Chaolu, Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC, H.E. Mr. Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture of China, H.E. Mr. Zhang Yong, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, H.E. Mr. Fang Aiqing, Vice Minister of Commerce, H.E. Mme. Esther Mcheka Chilenje, First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, H.E. Mme. R. Burmaa, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of Mongolia, H.E. Mme. Susanne Kurz, Former Speaker of the Federal Parliament of the Republic of Austria, attended the the Opening Ceremony and delivered speeches.

Vice Premier of the State Council, H.E. Mr. Wang Yang made a keynote speech themed on “Join Hands to Explore the New Era of Northeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation”. He emphasized that Northeast Asia Cooperation should stick to taking the strategic mutual trust as basis, stick to setting the common developing as the center, stick to connectivity as the core, stick to extending opening as the motivation. He further expressed that Jilin Province was an important window for China promoting Northeast Asia cooperation. The Chinese government supported Jilin Province for its further opening up to the outside world and the development of Changjitu Area as well as the Great Tumen Initiative change to a regional governmental economic organization, increasing its ability of action and influence.

At his speech, Mr. Bayin Chaolu, Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the CPC, expressed that Northeast Asian countries were geographically close to each other, friendly with each other with ties of blood, linked with humanities, tied with business destiny, and integrated with interests. In this region, the countries haf shared strong complementarity, vast cooperation space and huge development potential. It was hoped that all the parties in Northeast Asia would work together, cooperate realistically to promote the construction of “One Belt One Road”, spare no efforts to realize a new round of higher mutual benefits and win-win cooperation in Northeast Asia.

First Vice Speaker of Malawi H.E. Mr. Esther Mcheka expressed that the theme of the forum on “Face the Future, Construct the Land Sea Joint Transportation Corridor in East Asia to Promote the New Pattern of Regional Economic and Trade Cooperation” was a good opportunity for Malawi. Malawi had been enjoying the fruits of economic development arising from China-Africa relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Malawi and China had mutually cooperated in various areas includingdisaster relief management, poverty reduction, financing, infrastructure development, education, agriculture, etc.

Minister of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of Mongolia H.E. Mme. R.Burmaa expressed that the scale and significance of the 10th China-Northeast Asia Expo had been expanding all the time, which she believed this would be conducive to the improving regional economic cooperation benefits. Mongolia had always been active to participate in the integration of trade and economy with favorable policies in the Asia-Pacific region.