ASEAN-China Week Grandly Opened

By ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)

ASEAN-China Week Grandly Opened

By ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)

On 23 May 2016, to commemorate the 25thanniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, the ASEAN-China Week, hosted by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), was grandly opened at the ACC Secretariat. More than 100 participants, including ACC Secretary-General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, H.E. Mr. Kong Xuanyou, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Ambassadors of ASEAN Member States to China, H.E. Mr. Hu Zhengyue, Vice President of China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA), representatives from relevant ministries of China, business and academy circles as well as media of both sides, attended the opening ceremony.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping extended her sincere appreciation for the strong support rendered by all walks of life of ASEAN and China to the event. She expressed that 2016 was the pivotal year to ASEANChina relations. ACC hosted the ASEAN-China Week, aiming to implement the important consensus of the leaders of ASEAN and China, to further promote functional cooperation in various fi elds encompassing trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, etc., through a series of commemorative activities. There were new changes in ASEAN and China comparing with 25 years ago. However, economic development and improvement of people’s livelihood were still the common tasks. Win-win cooperation, development and prosperity were the common needs and goals of both sides. The development of China and ASEAN was an opportunity for each other. Looking ahead, ASEAN-China relations have bright prospects. ACC, with a pioneering and innovative spirit, would like to strengthen frequent exchange and communication with all relevant parties in ASEAN and China, and spare no efforts to make new contributions to promoting ASEAN-China functional cooperation and increasing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Assistant Minister Kong Xuanyou said that over the past 25 years of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, with the joint efforts of both sides, political mutual trust had been constantly enhanced, economic and trade cooperation had achieved substantial results, and cooperation in various fields had been continuously deepened. ASEAN-China relations had become the most active among all the relations between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, which had not only strongly promoted the economic and social development of both sides, but also made important contributions to peace, stability and development in the region. As one of the important activities of commemorating the 25thanniversary, the ASEAN-China Week was of great significance, which fully has reflected the positive and progressive, and constatnly deepened cooperation between the two sides. The Week gave full display to the important feature of people-to-people connectivity, and would inject new impetus into promoting the sustainable and stable development of ASEAN-China relations. China, together with ASEAN Member States, would take the opportunity of commemorating the 25thanniversary to continuously consolidate the basis of mutual trust, focus on functional cooperation, and promote the “2+7” cooperation framework, with emphasis on organizing the Commemorative Summit in September 2016, with a view to initiating a better future of ASEAN-China relations.

Ambassador of Lao PDR H.E. Mme. Vandy Bouthasavong, on behalf of ASEAN, expressed that since ASEAN and China had become dialogue partners from 1991, the relations and cooperation between both sides had been developed and expanded into all areas. 2016 marks the 25thanniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations and also ASEANChina Year of Educational Exchange. It would contribute to further strengthening the cooperation, friendship and exchange among the young people of both sides. She highly valued the signifi cance of the ASEAN-China Week hosted by ACC, and believed that ACC would make more remarkable progress in the years to come, in terms of promoting functional cooperation and friendship between ASEAN and China. Lao PDR and Embassies of ASEAN Member States in China would continue to support the workof ACC. As the rotating Chair of ASEAN, Lao PDR would try its best to ensure the success of the ASEAN Summit and other related Summits including ASEANChina Commemorative Summit.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping, Assistant Minister Kong Xuanyou, and ASEAN Ambassadors to China cut the ribbon together to announce the official opening of the ASEAN-China Week.

“A Blaze of Colours, A Ray of Beauty”: Exhibition of Chinese Paintings with the theme of National Flowers of ASEAN Countries was held after the Opening Ceremony. It was co-hosted by CPDA and ACC, implemented by He Shuifa Art Museum. CPDA Vice President Hu Zhengyue expressed that the artist He Shuifa was invited to produce the paintings with theme of Chinese peony and the national flowers of ASEAN countries, and hold the exhibition. It was both congratulation on the cooperation achievements between ASEAN and China, and blessing to the people of friendly neighbors. He hoped relations between the two sides with luxuriant foliage. Mr. He Shuifa said that fl owers symbolized warmth and friendliness. The friendship between ASEAN and China was blooming like spring fl owers. As an artist, he hoped to use a feast of fl owers to celebrate the opening of ASEAN-China Week and the 25thanniversary. Secretary-General Yang Xiuping, Assistant Minister Kong Xuanyou, Vice President Hu Zhengyue and Artist He Shuifa, donated the paintings to the ten Embassies of ASEAN countries in Beijing.

ASEAN-China Week lasted until 30 May, including Seminar on ASEAN Economic Community, ASEANChina Tourism Cooperation Forum, Exhibition of ASEAN-China Academies of Fine Arts, ASEAN Ambassadors’ Lecture, ASEAN-China Relations Photo Exhibition, ASEAN-China Students’ Day, ASEAN Gourmet Festival, etc.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping, Assistant Minister Kong Xuanyou, and ASEAN Ambassadors to China cut the ribbon together to announce the offi cial opening of the ASEAN-China Week.