On 25 March 2016, the ASEAN-China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue: Role of Local Government in International Cooperation on Production Capacity was held in Boao International Conference Centre, during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2016. The Dialogue was co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Hainan Province, and was supported by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC).
The Dialogue was moderated by Ms. Chen Wenling, Chief Economist of China Centre for International Economic Exchange. H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ACC, together with H.E. Mr. Liu Cigui, Governor of Hainan province, Mr. Zhao Haishan, Vice Mayor of Tianjin City, Ms. Wang Lixia, Vice Governor of Shanxi Province, Mr. Chu Yonghong, Vice Mayor of Nanjing City, Ms. Dong Xiaoli, Vice Mayor of Qingdao City, Ms. Araceli Bernardino Wong, Governor of Catanduanes, Philippines, Mr. Keophilavanh Aphaylath, Vice Governor of Vientiane, Laos, Mr. Cao Van Trong, Deputy Secretary of Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of People’s Committee of Ben Tre Province, Viet Nam, Ms. Chong Eng, Member of Penang State Assembly for Padang Lalang, Malaysia, Mr. Kao Sok An, Deputy Governor of Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, Ms. Sun Xueling, Member of Parliament for Republic of Singapore, Mr. Chokdee Amornwat, Vice Governor of Phuket Province and representatives from ASEAN and China provinces and cities as well as associations and business society attended the Dialogue.
Mr. Xie Yuan, Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries remarked that, with the ongoing development of economic globalization and regional integration, the local governments, closely affiliated with people’s livelihood, will bring tangible benefits to peoples’ well-being by enhancing cooperation with each other, and therefore become an important supplement to the relations among the nations. He believed the Dialogue will contribute wisdom to the production capacity cooperation from the perspective of local governments.
Mr. Liu Cigui, Governor of Hainan province remarked that, with the establishment of ASEAN Community and the development of the upgrading of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, ASEAN-China relations were elevated to a new height. Hainan Province was an important window for China’s opening up to the outside world, and a key link along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In production capacity cooperation, Hainan was complementary with ASEAN countries, and had a great potential for future cooperation. He hoped by the face-to-face communication today, the local governments from both China and ASEAN could explore future cooperation for the mutual benefits and shared development.
Secretary-General Yang remarked that the global economy was at present undergoing profound adjustment. Promoting international production capacity cooperation had become an important way to boost the real economy. ASEAN and China were at different phases in production capacity development. To promote the cooperation would meet the common interests of both sides, by reducing ASEAN’s purchasing cost and helping China to transform and upgrade its economy. We were confident that the “Belt and Road” Initiative put forward by China, and the completion of ASEAN Community will provide new opportunities for the deepening of ASEAN-China production capacity cooperation. The provinces and cities of ASEAN and China should seize those opportunities, give full play to their respective advantages, to achieve substantial results at an early date. Enterprises were the main bodies of production capacity cooperation. The enthusiasm of enterprises was the driving force to enhance the cooperation. To this end, we should try to facilitate enterprises by improving the investment environment, providing financial support and helping the business matching.
The speakers had an active discussion on three sub-topics, which are promoting inter-connectivity and strengthening the basis of international cooperation on production capacity, building an inter-governmental platform for sharing and exchanging information on production capacity cooperation and encouraging and guiding companies to participate in international cooperation on production capacity. The speakers agreed that ASEAN and China have great potential for cooperation, since they are close in geography and intimate in economic relations. Strengthening production capacity cooperation will help to lay a solid economic foundation for building a region of common destiny. They introduced the beneficial policy environment and advantages in production capacity of their provinces or cities, and called for a platform for cooperation and communication, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
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