On 29 August 2012, "Seminar on Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage in ASEAN & China " was jointly held by ASEAN-China Centre, China National Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO (Asia-Pacific Center) at ACC. The seminar was attended by ambassadors of ASEAN Member States to China, officials from China's Ministry of Culture, directors of Provincial Department of Culture and provincial center for intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hainan and experts in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection. The participants discussed and exchanged opinions about the two principal themes---research and protection of ASEAN-China intangible cultural heritage at the national level and related issues regarding the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereafter referred to as "the Convention"). The meeting was co-hosted by Mr. Ma Mingqiang, Secretary-General of ACC, Mr. Li Xinfeng, Executive Deputy Director of China National Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Mr. Yang Zhi, Director of International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO.

Secretary-General Ma Mingqiang extended his warm welcome to all the guests and then introduced ACC's missions, functions and work done with since its establishment to promote ASEAN-China cooperation in various fields. He emphasized that, as the only inter-governmental international organization between ASEAN and China, one of the important missions of ACC was to further strengthen the cultural exchanges between ASEAN and China including the interaction and cooperation in the field of intangible cultural heritage protection. Mr. Li Xinfeng, Executive Deputy Director of China National Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, briefed on China's intangible cultural heritage protection at the national level. Mr. Liu Kuili, honorary academician and researcher for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, talked about the principles that should be observed and issues to which attention should be paid, from the perspective of analyzing the concept of intangible cultural heritage. Mr. Yang Zhi, Director of International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO, elaborated on the basic information, and latest development of the Convention. He also touched upon the capacity building strategy UNESCO had developed in recent years to enhance the contractual capacity of contracting parties, and the international training functions and programmes of the Asia-Pacific Center. ASEAN ambassadors to China made comprehensive and detailed introduction of intangible cultural heritage and the current protection situation at the national level in their respective countries.

During the meeting, "Public-benefit Photo Exhibition of ASEAN-China Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Masterpieces" and performances of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Masterpieces including Kunqu opera, Mongolian long-tune and Gu Qin were also held.

This seminar was the first cooperating programme in the area of regional intangible cultural heritage protection among the ASEAN-China Centre, China National Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region. The three Centers would continue to enhance their cooperation in the future and commit to the promotion and development of the ASEAN-China intangible cultural heritage protection.