ACC Secretary-General Attended the Unveiling Ceremony of China-ASEAN Education Training Centre

On 13 September 2015, the Unveiling Ceremony of China-ASEAN Education Training Centre was held in Yangzhou University. The Ceremony was attended by Mr. Wang Zhijian, Vice Mayor of Yangzhou, Mr. Yang Mingrong, Vice Chairman of Yangzhou People's Political Consultative Conference, Mr. Liu Baoli, Executive Secretary-General of China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW), H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), H.E. Ms. Magdalene Teo, Ambassador of Brunei to China, and representatives of Embassies of Myanmar and Viet Nam in Beijing.

Mr. Jiao Xin'an, President of Yangzhou University, expressed his warm welcome and appreciation to the guests. He introduced the development of Yangzhou University and stated that the University attached great importance to world-wide educational exchanges, especially with the ASEAN Countries. It had conducted educational scientific research cooperation with the ASEAN countries in many areas including agriculture and husbandry, teachers' education, health care and catering management and had achieved fruitful results. Yangzhou University was one of the members of the Association of China-ASEAN Education Training Centres. The ASEAN-China Education Training Centre, which was officially operated in the University, would be another special logo for its international exchanges, a cultural belt linking Yangzhou, Yangzhou University and the ASEAN Countries and a bridge for gourmet on the Belt and the Road Strategic Initiative. Taking this as a good opportunity, the University would make full use of its advantages in high level culinary arts and catering management to further promote the exchanges of cuisine culture among Yangzhou, Yangzhou University and the ASEAN countries and to inject more energy and vigor. 

H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping expressed her congratulations to the operation of the China-ASEAN Education Training Centre. She highlighted that the establishment of China-ASEAN Education Training Centre was an important consensus reached by the leaders of both China and the ASEAN Countries which aimed to provide training programme tailor to the needs of the ASEAN Countries in its process of economic and social development, to promote the people-to-people exchanges in the areas of education between ASEAN and China so as to enrich the content of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership. Against the backdrop of China and ASEAN jointly building the Community of Common Destiny and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, it was of great importance to strengthen inter-cultural dialogue and people-to-people bond. Yangzhou University was a comprehensive university with a large faculty and wide range of subjects. It was the first university opening the course of culinary arts and took a leading position in cuisine training compared with its counterparts. She hoped the University could make full use of its advantages in culinary training programme to make a new contribution in deepening the mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of ASEAN and China. She made strong commitment on ACC's consistent support to the University.

H.E. Ms. Magdalene Teo, Ambassador of Brunei to China, expressed her appreciation to Yangzhou University for setting-up the ASEAN-China Education Training Centre focusing on Chinese Culinary Arts and Cuisine. She stated that the Chinese government had been offering scholarships to ASEAN countries and Brunei fully appreciated the generous offer. She added that cuisine was an important feature of both the Chinese culture as well as the ASEAN culture. Chinese cuisine was one of the world's greatest, while ASEAN had different and colorful cuisine. She expected the new Training Centre under Yangzhou University would serve as a good platform for culinary students from both ASEAN and China could learn from and share experience with each other. She also expressed the willingness to make joint efforts with China to expand the dimension of cooperation in the areas of education training.

Mr. Liu Baoli, Executive Secretary-General of CAECW wished the China-ASEAN Education Training Centre a great success. He emphasized that China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership had entered a new phase of building a New Diamond Decade and ASEAN was an important hub of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In order to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, China had established 30 China-ASEAN Education Training Centres as well as the Association of China-ASEAN Education Training Centres which aimed to build a long-term mechanism of cooperation among the educational agencies between two sides, to set up a platform for training programme cooperation, to enhance the mutual trust and cooperation between the education training agencies and enterprises, to facilitate sharing of resources, and to realize the win-win of all sides. He wished the University could fully play the platform role to further explore the cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, people-to-people exchanges and people's livelihood, and to push forward the exchanges and innovation of the regional cuisine culture so as to input new vigor in introducing Asian cuisine culture to the world. As always, the CAECW and the Association of China-ASEAN Education Training Centres would provide strong support to Yangzhou University.