Sixth Meeting of the Joint Council of the ASEAN-China Centre Held in Guangzhou

On 16 November 2016, the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Council (JC) of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was held in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Phongsavanh Sisoulath, Director General of ASEAN Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR, and H.E. Mr. Xu Bu, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN. Officials and representatives from ASEAN Member States, China and the ASEAN Secretariat attended the Meeting.

Ambassador Xu Bu commended ACC, since its inception, has opened up innovative ideas and carried out a variety of activities in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, and media. These activities have played a positive role in promoting overall cooperation between China and ASEAN. He reviewed the important progress made in ASEAN-China relations over the past 25 years. He said that at the 19th China-ASEAN Summit last September, leaders of both sides reached important consensus on the future development of China-ASEAN dialogue relations. He expressed his confidence that with the concerted efforts, China-ASEAN relations, from the period of growth in the past 25 years to the period of maturity in the coming 25 years, will become more healthy, stable, and dynamic and will make even greater contribution to enduring peace, stability, and prosperity in East Asia. He expressed his expectations for ACC to continue to harness its strength and make new contribution to China-ASEAN cooperation.

Director General Phongsavanh Sisoulath commended ACC for its work in 2016. He mentioned various activities carried out by ACC which injected strong impetus to ASEAN-China relations, and briefed the Meeting on the outcomes of the ASEAN Summits and ASEAN-China Summit under Lao PDR’s ASEAN Chairmanship. As 2017 will be the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the Year of ASEAN-China Tourism Cooperation, both sides need to seize the opportunity to increase trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural exchanges and promote greater people-to-people exchanges. He hoped that ACC will build on the good work and play an even bigger role in promoting friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and China.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the Joint Council for the strong support to the ACC Secretariat. She said that ACC, since its inception, has acted on the important consensus reached by the leaders of both sides. ACC has made the most of the year 2016 which marks the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the Year of ASEAN-China Educational Exchange and has actively implemented 19 flagship projects approved by the JC. ACC will continue to follow through on the guidance at this JC meeting so as to break new ground and take solid steps to advance ASEAN-China practical cooperation. 

The Meeting listened to the Report of the Joint Executive Board, deliberated on and adopted the Summary Record of the Fifth JC Meeting, the Annual Report of 2016, the Work Programme of 2017, the Proposed Budget of Operational Expenditure of 2017, and the Administrative Measures on the Unappropriated Balance of the Public Fund of the ACC. The Meeting discussed the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing ACC between the Governments of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Government of the People’s Republic of China signed in 2009 and other matters.

JC members fully recognized the tremendous work done by ACC under the leadership of Secretary-General Yang Xiuping. They put forward constructive suggestions and recommendations for the Centre’s work and looked forward to even greater achievements of the Centre.