(Four Seasons Hotel, 3 November 2016)
Your Excellency Mr. Sun Guoxiang , Special Envoy of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China,
Your Excellency Mme. Vandy Bouthasavong, Ambassador of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to China,
Hon. Ministers, Ambassadors,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening!
Welcome to the Reception Marking the 5th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Centre. A warm welcome to you all! Thanks for the congratulatory message from H.E. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ambassador Vandy Bouthasavong for your significant remarks.
ASEAN-China Centre came into being as a result of the rapid development of ASEAN-China relations. It has been entrusted with the responsibility of promoting practical cooperation in five priority areas, namely, trade, investment, education, culture, and tourism.
Over the past five years since its inception in 2011, the centre has worked actively to implement the important
consensus reached by the leaders of both sides and keep abreast of the times in a pioneering and innovative spirit.
We have completed more than 100 approved flagship projects, and organized or participated in more than 500 activities, fully harnessing our strength as a one-stop information and activities centre and contributing to the friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and China.
These achievements could not have been possible without the strong support and assistance provided by the governments of ASEAN countries and China as well as friends from all walks of life. We would not have been able to accomplish so much without the hard work of my colleagues at the centre. Therefore, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who have cared, supported and engaged in ACC’s development. Thank you very much!
Dear Friends,
ASEAN countries and China are close neighbours with profound friendship. The sustained development of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership has lent strong impetus to ACC’s work. This year is the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the Year of Educational Exchange. Moreover, it marks the start of
the ASEAN Community and China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. In this crucial year of building on the past achievements to make new progress, ACC has made enormous efforts to implement 19 flagship projects, organize or participate in more than 100 activities of various kinds, which have produced good results.
— We have held a series of events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the dialogue relations. For instance, we put together thematic seminar, ASEAN-China Week, ASEAN-China Day Fair and gala performance, which brought together participants from various sectors and won wide acclaim.
— We have advanced two-way trade and investment in support of the Belt and Road Initiative. ACC vigorously promotes the upgraded ASEAN-China FTA and ASEAN Economic Community, and enhances cooperation on production capacity, agriculture and poverty reduction. ACC continues supporting ASEAN and Chinese enterprises, SMEs in particular, in enhancing business opportunities in both sides.
We pushed for the establishment of the ASEAN Commercial Centre at the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and took Chinese trade and investment missions to
Malaysia, Brunei, Viet Nam and Thailand. In addition, ACC actively promotes e-commerce cooperation in keeping with the trend of the times.
— We have increased education cooperation, providing more bright spots to the ASEAN-China Year of Educational Exchange. For instance, ACC organized a Logo Design Competition for the Year of Educational Exchange, took an active part in the 9th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, worked closely with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization and other partners to co-host or sponsor eight activities in this area.
ACC also encouraged youth exchange. The third Beijing ASEAN Students’ Games, ASEAN-China Youth Summer Camp, ASEAN-China Forum of Youth and Humanities and other events that we organized were well received.
We facilitated cooperation between vocational education institutions and urged Chinese companies to provide vocational education facilities and training to ASEAN countries to help them train skilled personnel.
— We have been looking at new ways to enhance cultural exchanges and mutual learning. ACC initiated
and co-sponsored the first-ever ASEAN Film Week, offering a new platform to showcase ASEAN films and strengthen cooperation on cultural production capacity between ASEAN and China. We launched the theme webpage “Window for ASEAN-China Children’s Cultural Exchanges” and co-sponsored the “Soong Ching Ling Cup” China-ASEAN Youth Football Friendly Matches, sowing the seed of friendship for the younger generation.
The Beijing Cultural Tour in ASEAN and the Cultural Tour on ASEAN-China Traditional Medicine Exchange that ACC carried out were warmly welcomed in ASEAN countries.
— We have worked to promote the rich tourism resources of ASEAN countries and China, unleashing cooperation potential in the field of tourism. ACC organized the ASEAN-China Tourism Cooperation Forum, actively supported and participated in the ASEAN Tourism Forum, ASEAN Ecotourism Forum, and Sichuan International Travel Expo, among others, where we contributed our thoughts on ways and means to deepen tourism cooperation.
ACC compiled and translated the ASEAN Travel
Package in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat to introduce hundreds of ASEAN countries’ travel routes to Chinese travelers. Besides, ACC co-organized the ASEAN-China Tourism Photo Contest 2016. The 5,000-plus photos collected at the Contest reflected the vivid culture and customs of ASEAN countries and China.
— We have trod a new path for media exchange and public relations to raise the public awareness of ASEAN-China cooperation. ACC invited Ambassador of Thailand to give an interview at the centre’s Microblog, invited Ambassadors from Malaysia and Brunei to Universities in Gansu and Jiangsu provinces to deliver lectures and interact with local students. ACC organized Chinese mainstream media to visit Cambodia and Viet Nam and took ASEAN journalists to Jiangsu and Yunnan provinces of China. ACC and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China have jointly compiled the book: Facts and Figures—25 Years of ASEAN-China Dialogue and Cooperation, held photo exhibitions on ASEAN-China relations on multiple occasions, provided a column in the Journal of World Education for the Year of ASEAN-China Educational Exchange to promote friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and China.
Dear Friends,
Closer cooperation between ASEAN and China serves the common interests of the two billion people of both sides. As we speak, ASEAN-China cooperation is facing new opportunities and broader prospects in the year to come.
Next year will be the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the ASEAN-China Year for Tourism Cooperation. The 19th ASEAN-China Summit concluded in Vientiane, Lao PDR, early September this year has charted the course for the relations between ASEAN and China.
ACC will keep up the good work, further improve ourselves, and continue to work with all sectors of both sides to make new and even greater contribution to the friendship and cooperation between ASEAN countries and China.
Thank you.