Secretary of Xuzhou CPC Committee Met with Delegation of Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation

On 20 May 2021, Mr. Zhou Tiegen, Secretary of Xuzhou Municipal CPC Committee, met with the delegation of the Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation. The delegation was led by Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), representatives of the embassies and consulates of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in China, including Mr. Raja Dato’ Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, Ambassador of Malaysia to China, Mr. Dino R. Kusnadi, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister of Indonesia Embassy in China, Ms. Ang Lay Ling, Deputy Chief of Mission and Ministerof Brunei Embassy in China, Mr. Sreng Sataro, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counsellorof Cambodian Embassy in China, Mr. Chen Junjie, Counsellor of the Asian Affairs Department of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Wang Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee and Secretary-General of Xuzhou Municipal CPC Committee, Ms. Li Yan and Mr. Zhang Ke, Vice Mayors of Xuzhou, Mr. Huang Xiqiang, Level-1 Counsel of the Foreign Affairs Office of People’s Government of Jiangsu Province, experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University and Chahar Society, and representatives of enterprises such as Sinopharm attended the meeting.

Mr. Zhou Tiegen welcomed the delegation to Xuzhou to co-host the Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation, and introduced the economic and social development of Xuzhou. He said Xuzhou is the birthplace of Han culture, an important transportation hub in East China and the central city of Huaihai Economic Zone. He mentioned that Xuzhou is now vigorously promoting industrial, urban, ecological and social transformation, gathering “two highs and two strongs” to create a regional model for implementing the new development concept. The city looks forward to giving full play to ACC and other platforms through this conference to further deepen friendship and expand cooperation between Xuzhou and AMS.

Secretary-General Chen Dehai thanked Xuzhou for its warm reception and strong support of co-hosting this symposium. He spoke highly of the efforts made by AMS and China in promoting public health and economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tremendous results of exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. He said ACC is willing to actively support Xuzhou’s efforts to increase openness and cooperation, and will work closely with Xuzhou to jointly promote mutually beneficial cooperation between ASEAN and China in various fields.

Ambassador Nusirwan expressed appreciation to the Xuzhou Municipal Government for the thoughtful arrangements. He said he was impressed by the achievements of Xuzhou’s socio-economic development. Since the outbreak ofthe COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN and China have stood by each other to overcome difficulties and their relations have entered a new phase. He looks forward to the symposium which will further implement the consensus reached by the leaders and foreign ministers of the two sides and deepen cooperation in areas such as anti-pandemic efforts and public health. AMS including Malaysia are also willing to work closely with China under the framework of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP)to strengthen practical cooperation to create a better future in the region.

The Symposium on ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation, jointly organized by ACC, the Indonesian Embassy in China and the Xuzhou Municipal People’s Government, is to be held on 21 May.